Environmentalist fury over oil spill at Shell pipeline site
September 13, 2004
Shell's £6 billion Sakhalin oil pipeline has not even been built yet, but it has already caused a damaging oil slick that has enraged environmentalists and could force potential lenders to pull funds.
Pictures taken by the consortium building the pipeline (in which Shell is a majority shareholder) have upset environmentalists, who are furious that it took a response team nine hours to get to the scene. The delay was confirmed by the Sakhalin consortium.
The project, seen as a vital earner for the oil giant, is meant to take oil and gas from Siberia to Japan. It passes though the feeding ground of a rare breed of whales, threatening their survival.
The slick was caused by a dredger, which ran aground last Wednesday night during typhoon winds between Kholmsk Fishing Port and Kholmsk Commercial Port. Some 200 tonnes of oil and diesel was spilt and three miles of coastline was affected.
The Observer website has further information.
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