Police in Australia arrest 32 climate activists at the world’s largest coal port as protests disrupt shipping with kayak flotillas and ship boardings.
NEWCASTLE: Australian police arrested 32 people during climate protests that organisers claim halted shipping at one of the world’s largest coal export ports.
New South Wales police charged the activists with marine-related offences during weekend demonstrations at the Port of Newcastle north of Sydney.
Police warned of their zero-tolerance approach to threats against public safety or vessel passage after several activists engaged in unsafe practices on the water.
Organiser Rising Tide said flotillas of kayaks entering shipping channels forced two coal ships to turn around instead of entering the port.
Nearly 100 people in 50 kayaks re-entered the shipping channel again on Sunday according to the group.
Greenpeace said activists climbed coal ship Yangze 16 and displayed a banner reading “Phase out coal and gas”.
Police landed on the ship’s deck by helicopter and detained two activists after the seven-hour action.
“As the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia plays an outsized role in the climate crisis,” said Joe Rafalowicz of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
He urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government to set a timeline to phase out coal and gas and stop approving new fossil fuel projects.
A Port of Newcastle spokesperson said shipping schedules continued over the weekend with the final vessel leaving Sunday afternoon.
“Vessel operations will continue tomorrow as scheduled,” the spokesperson confirmed.
Australia’s parliament approved new environmental laws last Thursday requiring large carbon-emitting projects to disclose emissions and pollution reduction goals.
The Climate Council NGO expressed concern that the laws don’t require government consideration of a project’s climate pollution during approval assessments.
Despite renewable energy investment, Australia remains dependent on fossil fuels for economic growth.
The country ranks among the world’s top coal exporters with the third-largest coal reserves and continues providing billions in public subsidies to fossil fuels.
