Protestors blockade world’s biggest coal port
Climate action group Rising Tide has organised the so-called ‘People’s Blockade’ to attempt to stop coal exports at Newcastle, Australia
The group successfully appealed an exclusion zone ordered by the New South Wales Government in the state’s supreme court just hours before it was due to start
CLIMATE protestors are blockading the port of Newcastle, Australia, the world’s largest coal export port.
Action group Rising Tide organised the so-called People’s Blockade of the port with a view to disrupting coal exports from Australia’s primary port.
Protestors in kayaks, canoes and other small craft took to the harbour on Thursday November 21 and will continue to disrupt operations at the port through to Saturday in a 50-hour blockade, part of a wider “protestival” in Newcastle.
Last year, the event resulted in more than 100 arrests, after some protestors refused to leave after their permission had expired.
The Government of New South Wales attempted to thwart the protest by issuing a marine exclusion zone covering the waters around the port from 1700 hrs Thursday, November 21 to 0800 hrs Monday, November 25 under the Marine Safety Act 1998, Australian media outlet ABC reported.
Anyone entering waters within the zone would have faced a maximum fine of A$1,100 ($713.97).
But Rising Tide successfully challenged the order in the state’s supreme court. Justice Sarah McNaughton revoked the order after finding the wording of the Marine Safety Act was not designed to prohibit the blockade.
McNaughton did stress that just because the exclusion zone had been quashed, that did not mean certain activities by Rising Tide protestors would be lawful.
Rising Tide activist Alexa Stuart, who challenged the order in court, said the zone showed “that the government is more interested in protecting the interests of coal and gas billionaires, than protecting everyday Australians from dangerous climate change” and said Transport for New South Wales had acted “unfairly and illegally”.
Bulk carriers have already had to contend with protestors in the water. Liberia-flagged, 2023-built, 208,479 dwt Mount Matterhorn (IMO: 9945629) left Newcastle with the help of police vessels, while Hong Kong-flagged, 2020-built, 81,994 dwt ITG Uming 3 (IMO: 9853096) navigated past kayaks as it entered the port.
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