On the opening day of the 4th North Sea Conference in Esbjerg, Denmark, Greenpeace erected a 7.5 metre high steel replica of the BRENT SPAR oil installation outside the Conference Centre, in protest at the planned dumping of the SPAR in the North Sea and the continued use of the sea as industry's dumping ground. EU Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard, who has spoken out strongly against the sea dumping of the SPAR, joined the Greenpeace protest.