Shell bus blockaded in Glengad
mayo |
environment |
news report 
Thursday June 23, 2005 20:25
by Terry by way of chekov
Residents blockade shell bus.
Roughly 10 local residents have set up a blockade against a bus which was taking a group of people on a tour of shell's developments in Mayo. The identity of the people on the bus is unknown, but the residents are working on the assumption that they are white collar shell employees (perhaps management). This is based on the observation that they are wearing shirts and ties and not hard hats.
The blockade is located in Glengad (near rossport) where the pipeline from Shell's offshore development hits the land. A car is parked in front of the exit from the Shell site ensuring that the bus cannot get out. The site is basically a cleared but undeveloped area off the road towards the beach. According to indymedia's correspondant at the scene, the bus isn't going anywhere. There are currently no gardai at the scene.
Keep posted for breaking news, an indymedia volunteer is planning to set up an indymedia centre at the blockade site this evening, so we can hopefully look forward to updates from the people involved.
Comments (17 of 17)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Well done well done well done all you brave determined folk. Can't be with you in body but for sure I am with you in spirit. Keep it up and we will win
this press release went out to national papers , tv and radio at 5pm this eve. based on reports from terry & maura. hope it'sok. will mention new blockade in follow up calls.
ROSSPORT RESIDENTS BLOCKADE SHELL IN MAYO.
For further information contact Maura Harrington of the Shell to Sea Campaign on 097 867814 or 087 9591474 or Vincent McGrath of the Shell to Sea Campaign on 087 7557244
For background on the proposed high-pressure gas pipeline see wwwshelltosea.com
In Rossport, North County Mayo, local residents once again find themselves pitted in opposition to Shell operations, blockading vehicles engaged in work for Shell. Holed up in the back of a van is an inter-generational mix of people from 13-65, cups of tea are being swilled back with great gasps of ”ahhh”, and the ham sandwiches are doing the rounds. The song of the moment, “Going Out The Way You Came In” an oldie from the Irish Country Star Big Tom, is being played on Midwest Radio at locals request.
This is the second such blockade since this month, on the Leanavenny Road in the village of Rossport, where locals are refusing to give way to loaded lorries carrying pipes for the controversial proposed high-pressure overland Shell gas pipeline. This blockade began on the evening of June 21st and is ongoing.
Willie Carduff, a local landowner who has refused Shell permission to run the pipeline through his land, said today: "we are here for the long haul…we are here for however long it takes to get the truth out."
Willie is one of several farmers served with a high-court injunction barring him from entering the section of his land where Shell plan to lay the pipeline. The farmers have said they will go to jail rather than allow the high-pressure pipeline, which would run as close as 70 metres to Rossport homes. The minister for the Marine, Noel Dempsey, has granted Shell a Compulsory Acquisition Order for the lands, the first such order in Ireland to be granted to a private company.
So now residents are blocking a low loader carrying 30 foot pipes. The truck is unable to move, as it has to unload the pipes before it can reverse, as when Gardai were called to the scene it became apparent that the vehicle was not registered to transport pipes.
The driver, a local truck contractor from Bangor, agreed to commit on paper to a promise to locals that he would cease his own involvement in Shell operations in Rossport and was assured he’d be welcome for his normal work. But the Gardai refused to independently witness his signature going on a document to said effect, and that is why people are still down there blockading the road.
Normal village traffic is now able to pass but the truck is still on the road because it is illegal to move the truck with the materials in the back. There are a few private security personnel there from a Longford based company called Brendan Gilmore. The Gardai have taken the names and numbers of the local people who have cars on the road. This is the second time residents have had their details taken while blockading the pipeline.
On Tuesday evening, when the blockade began, a few Shell engineers came out led by Paul Gallagher. The Superintendent came out afterwards and the residents expressed their concerns to him, saying they wanted a meeting with Mayo County Council and Shell. They were granted a meeting with Mayo County Council today at 2pm in Bellmullet, the meeting is to solve the traffic problem and to stop stuff coming in until the traffic situation is sorted. \that meeting has not yet concluded. (5pm).
This morning, local traffic found extremely large machinery coming in the other road to Rossport, this machinery's function is to empty septic tanks, according to the health and safety officer in the compound. There is no planning permission for a septic tank in the compound.
According to Shell’s own traffic management plan there is to be 1,410 lorry load s coming in on the Rossport road, that has yet to happen. Most of the loads are to bring in stone to build a road in the way leave beside the pipeline route. There would appear to be no genuine traffic management plan for Rossport. The management plan over all is 115 pages, and only two are dedicated to the Rossport pipeline construction.
Contrast that with the plan for the refinery. On the roads to refinery there is a one way and two way carriage way, bridges and culverts, cones and barriers, lighting of junctions and working areas, restricted carriage way width, speed limits, separation distance accommodating local residents. Communications and record keeping, Driver training, vehicle maintenance, road condition maintenance, traffic control at junctions, emergency planning, signage, radio and print media and tipping/loading logistics.
Rossport residents were previously assured that there was going to be traffic management in the area.. Meanwhile, Shell has put road signs on surrounding roads saying give way to laden trucks. These signs apparently have no legal basis however.
One of the Shell engineers as said that "we will be moving our materials" but locals are insistent that they will not.
For further information contact Maura Harrington of the Shell to Sea Campaign on 097 867814 or 087 9591474
or Vincent McGrath also Shell to Sea Campaign on 087 7557244
Micheal O' Seighin, a Rossport resident & Seanachai has this to say:
"This whole area is essentially the territory of the minister for the marine. no other writ runs here.he is the sole arbitrer."
also: "The only other place on earth, apart from Erris Peninsula, where no rule of law is applied, is Guatanamo Bay."
bord gais, an bord pleanala & the government are taking no responsibility for this pipeline. it's between the people of erris, shell and noel dempsey.
if you would like to make your views about the minister for the marine's handling of the proposed pipeline in rossport you can visit him at his clinics listed below or phone, fax or email. hassling politicians is a civic duty. for every 1 message received they calculate 100 people are concerned about the issue
Noel Dempsey 2004 Newtown, Trim, Co. Meath Phone: 046- 9431146 Fax 046 – 9436643 info@noeldempsey.ie
noel dempsey's open days:
1st Saturday of the month 10.00am Civic Offices, Mill Street, Trim.
1st Saturday of the month 2.00pm Old Darnley Lodge Hotel, Athboy.
1st Tuesday 7.45pm McLaughlins, Ballivor.
2nd Monday 7.15pm Community Hall, Castlejordan.
8.00pm Abbey Inn, Ballyboggan.
3rd Monday 7.30pm Navan.
© Noel Dempsey 2004 Newtown, Trim, Co. Meath Phone: 046- 9431146 Fax 046 – 9436643 info@noeldempsey.ie
Sadly the news from Rosport reads like a report from the Niger Delta where incidents happen every day to express disatisfaction of local communities with Shell. For those who would wish to look at the similarities enter Nigerain Vanguard in Google and click on Delta where almost daily news on the oilfields appear in this daily middle of the road newspaper.
Shell in talks to sell Irish retail operations
June 24, 2005 11:26
The Royal Dutch/Shell group said today that it is in talks with a number of prospective buyers for its retail and commercial businesses both north and south of the border.
The company owns around 50 petrol stations in the Republic, and supplies a total network of 160 service stations north and south. Its Irish operations also include supply and distribution assets, commercial fuels, lubricants and marine businesses.
It said it hopes to make a decision in the coming weeks. The move is in line with the Shell Group's strategy of 'more upstream and profitable downstream'.
Shell's involvement in the Corrib gas exploration project, off the Co Mayo coast, will not be affected in any sale. Its aviation, bitumen and chemicals businesses are also not affected.
'For reasons of commercial confidentiality, we are not able to disclose these parties, or to discuss this matter in more detail at this time,' commented Dr Frank Bergin, Shell's Director in Ireland.
'If we do decide to proceed with a sale, it would be Shell's intention to sell the business as a going concern,' he added.
Sinn Féin Solidarity With Rossport Farmers
The Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Natural Resources Martin Ferris TD, and one of the party’s MPs from the Six Counties, will travel to Rossport in Mayo on Tuesday afternoon to show solidarity with local landowners who are under court injunction because of their refusal to allow Shell to lay a gas pipeline across their property. The two will also be reiterating Sinn Féin’s call for a full independent review of the Corrib gas project and for the state to revise the terms governing oil and gas exploration.
Deputy Ferris and the MP will be in Rossport at 2pm and will be available to talk to the media.
Just to remind readers that we should all recall that it was Ray Burke and Bobby Molloy (with I am sure a little bit of help from others) who gave away our natural resources to the oil companies and signficantly lowered the royalities / taxes that they would have to pay.
From the article in the URL below it says
:
"Ray Burke, against the advice of senior officials in his department, held a meeting on his own with the oil companies after which the terms and conditions previously attached to licenses were changed dramatically in favour of the companies".
See ref 'Burke blamed for Corrib Gas giveaway' at
http://republican-news.org/archive/2002/December05/05corr.html
But there's more; Bobby Molloy (I think he was elected in Mayo??) helped greatly in the giveaway too, as according to: "The Great Oil and Gas Rip Off" at http://republican-news.org/archive/2002/March14/14grea.html
said:
"In 1992, Bobby Molloy, after being lobbied again by the oil companies, reduced the oil/gas tax rate to 25%, the lowest in the world. 100% write -offs were introduced for the oil companies and so-called "Frontier Licenses" were introduced that allowed the oil companies up to 20 years to hold a license on a particular offshore block, i.e. a designated drilling location."
But there's more.... In Norway the oil companies have to pay 78% tax compared to the almost nothing here.....
"In the 2001 Budget, 25% Corporation Tax was reduced to 16.5% which will finally be reduced to 12.5% at the behest of the oil industry! Norway`s oil/gas rate is 78%, with a 7% royalty rate. There is a 50% automatic state stake in any discovery. The oil companies have to use Norwegian jobs, goods and services. The oil companies must also contribute to an oil savings fund for future generations of Norwegian people. And the oil companies still find worth their while to operate in Norwegian waters!"
Tell that to the people in Mayo and elsewhere!
This bus was full of suspected Shell shareholders, - over in Europe for the Shell A.G.M. in Holland next week?, at least they were some important people being toured around the development sites.
One car blocked the exit from the site - this is the proposed pipe landfall at the beach in Glengad, and they were caught, over in Rossport a car pulled up at the vigil on the road by the pipe carrying truck and almost before you could say 'quick get in'! we were on our way to the other side of the estury and Glengad to join the blockade over there. After a shortwhile the VIPs suffered the indignity of going on foot through the site to another bus to get away.
The above mentioned indymedia centre is me getting a tad excited - but more permanent arangements are being made.
This 'thing' is in Broadhaven Bay beside the beach landfall - more photos of it tmw, hopefully
I dont think that Micheal lives in Rossport or maybe im wrong !!!!!!!
How about the Shinners supplying a wee lump of their decommissioned Semtex for that "thing" out in the bay ....... ?
Put it to better use than blowing up small defenceless children.
Its a disgrace what is after happening to the people in rossport.
And ye won't solve it with protests outside Mountjoy just as it took more than a bit of polite forelock-tugging to drive the famine landlords out of Mayo ....
should there not be an investigation into a discredited minister who gave it away in the first place namely ray burke.
We, in Donegal ,support your battle to preserve your rights -
let us know where and when the protests are - email us at
info@dun-na-ngall.com
forget about Dublin as the Dail is out -
The West's Awake!!
Shell:an engine of World poverty subversion of Democracy e.g Nigeria, Ireland. Which railroads its robber baron mentality over ordinary people.
Shell:an engine of World poverty subversion of Democracy e.g Nigeria, Ireland. Which railroads its robber baron mentality over ordinary people.
well done lads we know what its like to be fighting for a cause but as we know their is plenty of laws in this country but no justice for the ordinary individuals
ye are lucky ye have agood td in mring
we have a silent td in our village
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