Brent Spar Victory!

Footage from Greenpeace in the Netherlands about the Brent Spar

Water Hoses Attacking Greenpeace Crews at the Brent Spar

In 1995, Greenpeace won a major victory in its campaign to stop other nations and corporations from using the vast oceans as a dumping ground. Located in the North Sea, the Brent Spar oil storage facility had been planned to be scrapped and sunk to rest forever at the bottom of the ocean. The 14,500 tonne behemoth proved to be a major environmental hazard, as there was still oil that inside the structure and its metal structure would last for hundreds of years in the depths of the water. When plans for this environmental crime broke out, protests from Greenpeace supporters across Europe broke out against Shell (the oil company involved), resulting in reported losses of sales of up to 50% at some petrol stations in Germany and even the topic being brought up at the G7 summit with the UK government. However, the British government refused to give into public protests until finally they overwhelmed Shell, who, in a dramatic change of plans, agreed to dismantle the Brent Spar and recycle it on land. Because of this shockingly tremendous victory for Greenpeace, the international governing body responsible for ocean dumping officially banned the dumping of any such rigs in the ocean, another huge victory for Greenpeace supporters across the world.