MOUNT MATTERHORN

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Bulk carrier needed police escort

The Australian port of Newcastle, the world's largest coal exporter located 170 kilometres north of Sydney, was temporarily blocked by environmental activists between Nov 21 and Nov 24, 2024. Environmental activists demonstrated around bulk carriers going to and from the port. The 'Mount Matterhorn' had to be escorted by police vessels to leave Newcastle and the 'ITG Uming 3' was greeted by a hundred kayaks and other floating boats, arriving via the adjacent Nobby beach, as it entered the port. With this action, the Rising Tide organization that initiated the movement wanted to ask the Australian government to cancel all new fossil fuel projects, to end all coal exports from Newcastle by 2030, and to tax 78% of the profits from the export of fossil fuels to finance the industrial transition. Australia has committed to reaching the Net Zero objective by 2050, although it continues to approve projects that include fossil fuels (coal, of which it is one of the main producers, and gas). In total, 170 activists, including 14 miners, were arrested and 138 demonstrators risked a maximum penalty of 13,550 euros in fines and two years in prison for "disrupting a major installation". Meanwhile, 32 other people, accused of failing to comply with officers’ instructions, were facing a fine of €2,000. The New South Wales government has strict laws on actions that hinder economic activity. Authorities tried to invoke the Maritime Safety Act of 1998 to create a temporary exclusion zone around the port, but the Supreme Court overturned the measure on Nov 21, just before the protests began, Report with photo: https://lemarin.ouest-france.fr/sciences-environnement/en-australie-des-vraquiers-accueillis-par-une-centaine-de-militants-au-port-a-charbon-de-newcastle-b17d912e-aca0-11ef-9f0f-abd6acfb270c