Greenpeace activists block Zeebrugge LNG terminal
Around 70 Greenpeace activists blocked the LNG terminal in the port of Zeebrugge on Wednesday to campaign against the import of liquefied natural gas from Russia and the United States. No tankers can currently enter the terminal.
Early on Wednesday morning, the activists hid from the police and coastguard at various locations in Zeebrugge, waiting for an LNG tanker to leave the port. As soon as this happened, they took to the water in rubber boats and kayaks.
One of the ships was carrying a banner bearing drawings of Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump and the slogan "They love gas, you pay the price". A second banner read, "Stop fossil gas".
The international protest saw Belgian activists joined by colleagues from seventeen different countries, including the Ukrainian branch of Greenpeace.
"LNG tankers from the US and Russia sail into Zeebrugge every day"
The liquefied natural gas (LNG) arriving in Zeebrugge is destined for the whole of Europe, with Germany being a particularly major customer.
Joeri Thijs, a Greenpeace spokesperson who was also present in Zeebrugge, explained that dependence on fossil gas is detrimental to the climate. “Yet we sign long-term contracts, and LNG tankers from the US and Russia sail into Zeebrugge every day,” he said.
Supporting war in Ukraine
According to Thijs, Belgium is supporting the war in Ukraine by importing LNG from Russia. "Since the invasion, it has spent 6.2 billion euros on Russian LNG, compared to 3.2 billion euros in aid to Ukraine.
Greenpeace also opposes the import of LNG from the United States because it involves shale gas, which is "even more harmful to the climate".
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO & VIDEO MAARTEN WEYNANTS
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