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Greenpeace Activists Block Unloading Of Russian Natural Gas At Finnish Terminal


Greenpeace activists hold signs as they block a Russian gas shipment from being offloaded in Tornio, Finland, on September 17.
Greenpeace activists hold signs as they block a Russian gas shipment from being offloaded in Tornio, Finland, on September 17.

Greenpeace environmental activists blocked the unloading of a shipment of Russian gas at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in northern Finland.

"The shipment contained liquefied natural gas coming from Russia," Olga Vaisanen, a spokeswoman for Finnish state-owned company Gasum -- which imported the blocked gas -- told AFP on September 17.

The activists demanded that the Nordic nation cease importing Russian gas following the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine in February.

"It's completely unacceptable that Russian gas is still allowed to flow in Finland, more than six months after [Russian President Vladimir] Putin launched his invasion," Greenpeace activist Olli Tiainen said in a statement.

"The Finnish government and Prime Minister Sanna Marin must ban all fossil fuel imports from Russia immediately," the group said on Twitter.

Officials said a Greenpeace vessel and activists in kayaks outside the loading dock had blocked the LNG tanker Coral Energy from docking. Other activists had climbed into the cranes used to unload the gas.

On September 8, Greenpeace prevented a tanker from unloading Russian LNG at a terminal in Nynashamn on Sweden's east coast.

The activists called on the Swedish government to immediately halt the import of Russian LNG.

The European Union and Sweden have not imposed sanctions on gas imports from Russia, only on oil and coal.

In May, Russia cut gas deliveries by pipeline to Finland -- claiming there were issues with payments -- but deliveries by sea have continued.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

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