Shell U.K. Limited (“Shell UK”), a subsidiary of Shell plc (“Shell”), and Greenpeace UK Limited (“Greenpeace”) have settled a legal dispute over the costs incurred by Shell UK during Greenpeace’s dangerous boarding of a vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. Last year, protestors unlawfully scaled a 72,000 metric ton moving vessel and occupied it for 13 days. Greenpeace has now agreed to make a payment to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which recognises Shell’s main concern with the Greenpeace action – that this kind of stunt at sea is a serious risk to safety and life.
As part of the settlement, Greenpeace has also signed a legally binding commitment to Shell UK and the High Court. It prohibits Greenpeace from carrying out similar actions at or near key oil and gas platforms in the North Sea for 5 to 10 years.
Shell is pleased that the dispute has been settled and that a payment in lieu of the costs it incurred can benefit a charity working on safety at sea. For Shell, the right to protest is fundamental and has never been at issue. Instead, this case was about an illegal boarding by protestors which a High Court judge described as “putting their lives and, indirectly, the lives of the crew at risk”. He was also clear that Greenpeace could still protest from a safe distance and their human rights were not infringed.
