Solitaire Plays Deaf to Pleas to Leave from Shell to Sea!

mayo | environment | news report

Sunday September 14, 2008 18:37

by FSB! et al. - Rossport Solidarity Camp - Shell to Sea

Shell's pipe-laying ship pretends not to listen: meanwhile 500+ cars join protest rally in Erris

Hunger striker Maura Harrington's daughter Astrid and son Iollan travelled to Killybegs Co. Donegal, today to make a personal plea to the Shell pipe-laying ship the Solitaire and its captain Mr. Simon van der Plicht to leave Irish waters immediately, and allow Maura to end her strike. Meanwhile, over 500 cars (with their drivers and passengers) drove around Erris this afternoon in a massive show of support for Ms. Harrington, who has now entered the sixth day of her hunger strike.

A deputation from Shell to Sea travelled to Killybegs, Co. Donegal today to attempt communications with Shell's pipe-laying ship the Solitaire and with its captain, Mr. Simon van der Plicht. the deputation included two of hunger striker Maura Harrington's children - her daughter Astrid, and her only son Iollan, who was brutally arrested by Shell's Gardaí during yesterday's beach reclamation action in Glengad, Co. Mayo.

At about lunchtime, soon after the Shell to Sea deputation arrived in Killybegs, radio contact was established with the Solitaire, which replied to initial VHF radio contact. Once the deputation announced their identity and their purpose over the radio, all radio contact with the Solitaire ceased, and all communications on VHF radio channels were met with silence. Disappointed with the ship's attitude but undaunted, the deputation kept communicating their message to the Solitaire over the radio, with Astrid and Iollan eloquently explaining the current situation in Mayo and why their mother has chosen to go on hunger strike, and they made dignified requests for the Solitaire to leave Irish waters, so that their mother can end her strike. The other ships that were involved in Shell's abortive pipe-laying operation in Mayo were similarly addressed; these communications were also met with silence. A further attempt at communication with Shell's ships some two hours later was met with silence again. The Shell to Sea delegation kept trying to establish communication for about a half an hour, but were ultimately fruitless.

Between the communication attempts, Astrid boarded the Irish Naval Service ship the LÉ Eithne, which was moored in Killybegs harbour. She managed to encounter its captain, and she began explaining to him calmly the situation in her home place in NW Co. Mayo and her disgust at the Irish Navy's role in Shell's attempt to begin pipe-laying in Broadhaven Bay, but he walked away from her without commenting. She was then escorted off the ship.

Meanwhile back in Co. Mayo a motor car rally of over 500 cars made its way around Erris this afternoon - a sign of the massive support Shell to Sea's and Maura Harrington's stand command in the locality. The rally started at Barnatra at 3:30pm and is continuing at the time of posting.

Maura Harrington entered the sixth day of her hunger strike this lunchtime. Her health and spirits remain strong, as she stays in her car parked before the Shell Glengad compound gates. The gates area is kept constantly lit by Shell an an attempt to disrupt her sleeping pattern, and the numerous Gardaí stationed there continue to behave in a aggressive abusive manner. A vigil of supporters keeps watch on Maura 24 hours a day, and help combat the various Garda verbal and physical nastinesses. Her hunger strike will continue until she receives solid assurances from either the Solitaire or its owners Allseas Group SA that the ship will not be pipe-laying in Broadhaven Bay this year and will be leaving Irish territorial waters without delay.

Come to Mayo and see for yourself what Shell and the state have done to a resisting unconsenting community!

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Comments (7 of 7)

Ring up the Solitaire - Tell Them to Leave Irish Waters!

by FSB! - Rossport Solidarity Camp - Shell to Sea

Sun Sep 14, 2008 14:09

Let that ship and its owners know your disgust at its continuing presence!
The Shell to Sea campaign is requesting that people phone and email the Solitaire and its owners Allseas Group SA to let the ship's captain and crew, and that company know that its continuing presence in Irish waters is unwelcome and that continuing to delay its eventual departure is forcing Maura Harrington to continue her hunger strike. Shell to Sea is asking people to demand that Allseas Group SA unambiguously and publicly announce the Solitaire's imminent departure from Irish waters not to return this year.

Allseas' & Solitaire's contact numbers and emails are in the main body text.
Contact numbers/emails for the Solitaire, its captain Mr. Simon van der Plicht, and for Allseas Group SA's legal and public relations depts.:

The Solitaire
tel.: 0047 5140 7930 ext. 100
email: solmaster@solitaire.allseas.com

Allseas Group SA Public Relations Dept.
public.relations@allseas.com

Allseas Group SA Legal Dept.
legal@allseas.com

Shell to Sea also requests that carbon copies of your correspondence to the Solitaire and Allseas Group SA be sent to Rossport Solidarity Camp at:
rossportsolidaritycamp@gmail.com

for those who rely only on the surface mails, here's a few postal addresses for Allseas Group SA:

Allseas Group S.A.
Route de Pra de Plan 18
Case Postale 411
1618 Châtel-Saint-Denis
Switzerland

tel: +41 21 948 3500
fax: +41 21 948 3599

Allseas Marine Services N.V.
Stationsstraat 180
B-2910 Essen
Belgium

tel: +32 3 670 1830
fax: +32 3 667 7969

Allseas Engineering bv
Poortweg 12
2612 PA Delft
The Netherlands

tel: +31 15 268 1800
fax: +31 15 257 1623

Allseas EMEA
Funchal,
Madeira,
Portugal

The Allseas SA UK office address in London is not given on Allseas' website. Get busy with your phones and computers and ask them to leave immediately!

The Solitaire in Broadhaven Bay - let it and Allseas know your displeasure at its continuing presence in Irish waters

Allseas SA's UK office address

Sun Sep 14, 2008 14:27

Well done to the London Shell to Sea massive! Address follows:

Allseas Group UK,
7 Albemarle St,
Westminster,
London,
England
WIS 4HQ

done - pass it on!

by Chrissie

Sun Sep 14, 2008 14:50

Please pass the story & suggested action to all your concerned friends. Best wishes to Maura & all in the campaign.

One more not-so-little weasel to add to your list

by FSB! - Rossport Solidarity Camp

Sun Sep 14, 2008 14:54

Just in case he feels neglected or forgotten in this saga, Shell to Sea requests you to add Eamon Ryan, the hapless Greena Fáil Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources who's now left holding the baby for Big Oil. OK, he didn't start this but, because he now stands foursquare behind Shell and the deployment of armed cops against peaceful protestors, where once he pledged unwavering support for the Shell to Sea campaign and its aims, he has made himself into part of the problem now. So, include this turncoat among the recipients of your righteous anger!

Email this Green Party twister at: minister.ryan@dcenr.gov.ie
or:
Phone: 01 6183097
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie

Other useful Green Party email addresses to send missives of righteous anger to:

Nicola Cassidy, Green Party press officer: nicola.cassidy@greenparty.ie

GP press office general email: greenparty.press.office@gmail.com

Finally, there's also contact info for Minister for the Environment, John Gormley (GP leader and turncoat-in-chief):
Phone: 01 8882403
Fax: 01 8788640
Email: john.gormley@oireachtas.ie

Details for other GP TDs senators etc can be got from: http://www.greenparty.ie/en/people

thanks

by mary and des w - london shell to sea

Sun Sep 14, 2008 16:23

Thanks to all and will see you at tonights demo here in london. Looking forward to joining Friends of Rossport Monday morning for demo. To all London Shell to Sea, Shell to Hell and Friends of Rossport see you at midnight , lets have a great 12 hours of action for our friend Maura here on the streets of London|

embassy update

Sun Sep 14, 2008 17:21

The London Shell to Sea group will continue to picket the Irish embassy here daily on behalf of Maura. The Irish staff scurry into the embassy when they read the Shell To Sea logo. They will not ask any questions nor will they ask us to leave .
Perhaps they think that if they ignore us we'll go away so of course we'll see u all there tomorrow.
They know who Maura Harrington is by now so let's keep the pressure on|

Plunder, plunder everywhere but not for the Irish

by What are polititions supposed to do?

Sun Sep 14, 2008 22:57

Our Fishermen in their smaller vessels were regularly rammed by the bigger boats belonging to the Spanish. Now our licensed fishermen are once again up against bullies in protecting their own fishing patch, this time in the form of Irish Gardai, Navy, security personal working for large corporations who continue to plunder our resources. Do our political masters ever learn anything from debates in the Oireachtas?
I came across the following conversation recorded in Seaned Eireann back in 1992 when Spanish Boats regularly rammed smaller Irish Fishing vessals

Seanad Éireann - Volume 131 - 19 February, 1992. Adjournment Matter. - Fishing Industry. "I urge that all foreign fishing vessels particularly those of Spanish origin who are flying flags of convenience in Irish waters, have their licences withdrawn forthwith. My reason for this demand is that the licences were granted in 1982-83 by the then Fine Gael-Labour Coalition Government on the clear understanding that these vessels would supply Irish factories and create extra jobs. In Cork south-west a factory known as Eiranova was set up in Castletownbere; it was then presumed by the IDA and by the fishing industry at the time that this factory could not be kept going or jobs created if it were to depend solely on supply from the local fishermen. Consequently five licences were issued to Spaniards on a number of conditions, one being that 75 per cent of staff of Spanish vessels flying the flag of convenience would be Irish citizens. That condition was never adhered to.----------------------------------------The incidents off our coastline last year where a number of Irish fishing vessels were rammed by more powerful foreign trawlers must be condemned outright. Bullying Irish fishermen in Irish waters or within our 200 mile EC zone cannot be tolerated. If this is allowed to continue lives may be lost. I inspected two vessels that were rammed off our coast last year when they were brought in for repair. It took nearly nine months to repair one of them and the people concerned were lucky that lives were not lost. These incidents happened 75 or 80 miles off the Fastnet Rock and I do not think the public are aware of the dangers encountered by fishermen. Several other incidents were reported. It is difficult to tackle the problem because by the time a Navy boat based in Haulbowline has [726] steamed 60 or 70 miles to where the incident occurred, nine times out of ten the ramming vessel has left for Spain or Portugal and is out of reach of our patrol boats. --------------------------------------------Politicians have been accused of not having the necessary political will to tackle the problems. The Spanish have got most benefits available under the EC and they are operating illegally almost without hindrance. The frightening facts I am now about to quote were gleaned from skippers of trawlers and from people involved in fishing co-ops not alone in west Cork but in other areas, too. Maybe the Department cannot statistically stand over them but last year it was estimated that 250 illegal Spanish vesels operating in EC and Irish waters took approximately 350 tonnes of fish a week along our coast. The amount of fish being removed annually is substantial and the value would run into millions of pounds. The damage to our stocks and to the economy must be appreciated. Much of that fish is sold as blackmarket produce in Spain below full market prices constituting a cheap source of food for [727] that country." http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0131/S.0131.199202190008.html

Their are fine people in the Irish Navy and Gardai, but what they are asked to do in Blacksod is unbecoming to any civilised people. We are a people up to our eyeballs in DEBT; what do we do? but give away our resources! Christ above! Is this all the Harvard/ Smurfit educated business and banking MBS etc can do with all their sophisticated education. What about our educated legal and business politicians! Is this all they can come up with? I am waiting for one of our politicians to pull a rabbit out of the hat, because what I am seeing is a pure embarrassment to a Primary Certificate holder!

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Solitaire Plays Deaf to Pleas to Leave from Shell to Sea!

Comments (7 of 7)