Greenpeace slams Finland oil drilling deal

(Greenpeace / EPA /YLE)Finnish state-owned companies should not participate in oil drilling activities in Arctic Sea areas, says environmental group Greenpeace.

The NGO has expressed disappointment at a deal between Arctia Offshore, a subsidiary of state-owned Arctia Shipping, and Shell, which calls for dispatching Finnish icebreakers to Alaska to secure Shell’s drilling operations in the area.

“State-owned companies should in no way participate,” says Greenpeace program director Tapio Laakso.

“This is the responsibility of the Finnish government.”

Ice has retreated from northern waters owing to climate change, giving access to oil exploration in previously closed areas.

Greenpeace is campaigning for a ban on oil drilling in Arctic areas. The organisation claims wind and ice make such activities dangerous.

“In the event of an accident, an oil leak would remain under the ice and be impossible to stop,” Laakso says, adding that the use of icebreakers in protecting oil drilling shows how prone such activity is to accidents.

Yle News

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