The Greek oil company HELPE has been conducting seismic testing over the past weeks in the Ionian Sea in Greece. After conducting seismic testing without any public announcement for 3 weeks in Kyparissiakos Bay, a very sensitive ecosystem and a protected area, the company has moved on to do testing on another block in the Ionian Sea further north west of Corfu, again not informing anyone about their plans. They have assured us that they are taking all the necessary protection measures, but why do they act with such secrecy and lack of transparency? We are here to bear witness: we peacefully protest against the seismic testing in an area which is extremely important for marine species such as Caretta turtles, sperm whales and many more. We peacefully protest against the lack of transparency and we will record any possible negative effects of the testing to the ecosystem. This part of the Ionian Sea is one of the most important habitats for marine mammals in the Mediterranean and we cannot allow such an important area for biodiversity to become endangered by obsolete fossil fuel seismic & extractive activities like the ones HELPE has in the pipeline.
It’s not the first time we protest against HELPE’s destructive activities and greenwashing practices. They have not listened. Instead, they have used greenwashing in order to build an “environmentally friendly” profile and enjoy social license for their actions.
The banner on the Rainbow Warrior's railing reads "HELPE, stop this crime" and the hand banners in Greek read "Fossil gas = climate chaos" and "Our seas demand protection".