Rossport Five defiant as Shell halts work

THE Rossport Five said they were “more defiant than ever” last night after their campaign claimed a minor coup with a decision by Shell to suspend its pipeline work off the Mayo coast.

The five farmers, Willie Corduff, Philip and Vincent McGrath, Brendan Philbin and Micheál Ó Seighin, are now in Cloverhill Prison for over five weeks. Last night, they said they would remain in prison “until the bitter end” when their “homes are once again a safe place to live”.

Their opposition to the project centres on fears that the onshore section of the gas pipeline will run too closely to homes, posing health and safety risks.

Talking to friends and family shortly after Shell announced they were suspending the 70-kilometre offshore work to allow a “period of public discussion and dialogue”, the men dismissed the Shell move as a “publicity stunt”.

Shell Ireland managing director Andy Pyle stood by his decision saying “the company will use this time to address remaining public concerns”. He re-iterated that the company was fully committed to delivering the Corrib project.

“While we strongly believe that all safety aspects of the onshore pipeline have been fully addressed, we want the public to have confidence that every reasonable step has been taken. Today’s announcement ... is a further sign of our commitment to safety,” he said.

It is believed that the work, on the offshore section, will be deferred until early next year.

The men are incarcerated because of their refusal to obey the terms of a court order of April 4 last restraining obstruction of the pipeline’s construction.

Independent Mayo TD Dr Jerry Cowley spoke to the men last night and said they were “more determined” than ever and “full of courage”. He conceded that the suspension was a minor victory for the campaign but called on Shell to collapse the injunction that has kept the men in prison.

“The men are in great form and are fully intent on seeing this through to the bitter end,” he said.

Work on the onshore pipeline has been suspended by the company since a new safety review was commissioned by Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey in recent days.

Shell had also temporarily suspended work on other parts of the €900 million project due to protests by locals at the sites. Up to 91 employees have been laid off by the company as a result of ongoing protests at its facilities in Co Mayo.

The Erris Inshore Fisherman’s Association also said that it would continue fishing in Broadhaven Bay and would not co-operate with the laying of the pipeline while the men remained in prison.

Earlier this week, Mr Dempsey gave the company the go-ahead for the offshore portion of the project.

He also said he would not intervene in the judicial process to get the so-called Rossport Five freed and argued that the project will reduce Ireland’s dependence on imported gas by 50%.