Greenpeace Protesters Use Kayaks To Block Russian Oil Tanker In Norway For ‘Financing Russia’s Warfare’

In a protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, activists from Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion in Norway used kayaks and a dinghy on Monday to block the delivery of oil from a Russian tanker. Twenty activists were later arrested, according to Norwegian police.

The activists had chained themselves to the oil tanker — the Hong Kong-registered Ust Luga, which is leased by the Russian oil company Novatek — at a terminal in the Oslo Fjord at the Slagentangen oil port owned by ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso. According to Greenpeace, the Ust Luga has 95,000 tons of jet kerosene valued at $116 million and came into the terminal from St. Petersburg.

"The Ukrainian president has called on Europe to halt Russian fossil fuels. And with good reason. Putin’s sources of revenue must be dried out immediately and banning oil import is a very good place to start. We need to make this war stop," Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norway Frode, said in a press release.

Activists on-site held signs reading "oil fuels war," "stop fuelling the war," and "no war."

Greenpeace also noted that one of Novatek's largest shareholders is Russian oligarch Leonid Mikhelson, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The organization says that it sent strongly worded letters to Esso and the Norwegian government demanding a cutoff of all Russian oil and gas imports to Norway.

Esso spokesperson Anne Fougner told Norwegian publication Dagbladet that Esso Norway purchased the oil before the war began and that it "does not have other contracts for the purchase of products from Russia."

Multiple companies have been accused of not pulling out of Russia following the invasion of Ukraine and have faced serious international backlash and economic consequences. Greenpeace, an organization that is usually climate oriented, has turned its attention to Europe's continued reliance on Russian oil.

Pleym also said in the press releases that "oil is not only at the root of the climate crisis but also of wars and conflicts. I am shocked that Norway operates as a free port for Russian oil, which we know finances Putin’s warfare."

European countries rely heavily on Russian oil. Russia provides 11% of the world's crude oil supply, with 27 European Union members accounting for 40% of the imports.

"During these two months of Russia’s war of aggression, we have seen horrific images and know the unimaginable suffering of the innocent civilian population of Ukraine. The fact that our government still allows the import of Russian fossil fuels in the current situation is unfathomable," Pleym added.

It is easier for countries like the U.S. or Canada to ban imports of Russian oil. A full ban on Russian oil in Europe, something that has been discussed but not yet implemented, would drastically impact the European economy, especially those countries in Eastern Europe, close to Russia. Any full bans could also cause an energy and oil crisis that could seriously impact everyday Europeans.

European Union has also discussed the possibility of broader sanctions on Russian oil or a boycott.