Greenpeace activists board rig

ENVIRONMENTAL activists from Greenpeace boarded an oil rig off the coast of Greenland yesterday in protest at deep water drilling by Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy.

The 18 activists scaled the side of the 53,000-tonne rig in Arctic waters in their latest bid to delay the start of drilling on the Leiv Eiriksson rig.

Last Sunday, two activists boarded the rig, where they spent four days in a tiny survival pod before being removed by police.

Greenpeace claims the energy company has refused to publish an Oil Spill Response Plan, which they say is an industry norm.

At 5am yesterday, the activists, including some from the UK, approached the rig on five speedboats, before scaling the legs of the structure.

Last night, most of the group had been arrested, but some remained on the rig.