Каспинфо
октябрь 2001

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Название: Сообщения по "Голубому потоку" на англ. яз.
Главные Пункты:
* 20 сентября четверо активистов предприняли блокаду судна Castoro Otto, ведущего укладку подводного участка газопровода в бухте урочища Дровяная Щель. Блокада продолжалась полтора часа. Участники акции были арестованы пограничниками, но затем отпущены.
* Участники акции 20 сентября требуют: остановить строительство газопровода в акватории; организовать проведение экологической экспертизы проекта морского участка газопровода с привлечением представителей общественности и международных экспертов.
(01.10.2001)

Полный Текст
Сообщения по "Голубому потоку" на англ. яз.
Сообщения по "Голубому потоку" на англ. яз.

***


PROTEST ACTION ON CASTORO OTTO SHIP
(Greens "celebrate" start of Blue Stream marine part construction)

On September 20 in a bay connected to Drovyanaya Schel tract
there an action against construction of Blue Stream pipeline
(Russia-Turkey) took place. The action was to underline the extreme
danger of the marine part of the pipeline's construction.
The activists send a notification about the action to Saipem
company and borderguards, in which they demanded:
- to stop the illegal construction in waters of the 1st and 2nd
sanitary-protection zone of Gelendzhik resort-city;
- to accept the Conclusions of State Environmental expertise
which states that the construction of the marine part of the
pipeline is illegal;
- to organise an Environmental Impact Assessment using
international experts and representatives from environmental NGOs.
4 activists from Socio-Ecological Union of Western Caucasus,
Autonomous Action movement and Rainbow Keepers movement have
blocked pipe placing ship Castoro Otto, which started placing pipes
for Blue Stream pipeline on September 18. The boat, which came to
the bay about 10 days ago, belongs to Italian company Saipem,
however it s host-port is Monrovia (a capital of Liberia) and it
goes under Liberian flag.
At the dawn, at 6 AM, activists Yury Tertichny, Roman Levchenko,
Natalia Yakovleva and Artem Shlenov started to swim to the ship,
which was located in about 600-700 meters from the shore. Every
activist carried on his back a package with food and spare clothes
because they were going to hold a blockade for a few days. Strong
wind forced one of the activists, Roman Levchenko, to turn back, to
the shore, where he was arrested by borderguards. The rest made it
to the boat, where the work has already started and the workers
spotted them. Nonetheless, the activists managed to lock themselves
to gangways right on the middle of working area, using chains and locks.
The spot for pipes releasing contented of two gangways going
from the boat to the sea and a pipe hanged between the gangways
with a net under the pipe. Behind these, at the deck was a place
for welding the pipes before placing them to the sea.
Natalia Yakovlava staid locked all the time, Artem Shlenov and
Yury Tertichny have chosen another tactics: they were locking and
unlocking themselves, moving on the gangways, the pipe and the net.
They managed to place a big banner No Blue Stream! . The activists
were shouting "Saipem go home!", "Ya basta!", "Saipem killed Black
Sea!" etc. Foreign workers tried to stop the activists, but
succeeded only when a reinforcement of Russian borderguards
arrived. First Natalia was arrested: the chains she used to lock
herself with, were cut using a huge cutters. Then 6 men managed to
tear away Artem from the net. The biggest problem was to arrest
Yury he escaped form the workers and climbed up, but in some time
he was arrested as well. The blockade lasted for 1.5 hours.
The activists were transported to the shore and than, together
with arrested earlier Roman Levchenko, transported to Archipo-
Osipovsky border patrol station. There they were hold all day,
however the borderguards did not placed them to a cell, but left in
a room. Some of the borderguards expressed their solidarity with
the activists, and one of them said, that he realised the danger of
the Blue Stream , but the borderguards could not discuss governments decisions.
It took a day to decide what to do with the activists. Initially
the borderguards intended to incriminate them illegal border
crossing (in Russia it can be prosecuted by up to 2 years in
prison). However the attention of media and NGOs to the problem and
to the arrest of activists, it was decided not to complicate life
of the border patrol station and guys were released without
pressing charges on them.
It was a wise decision, since a criminal investigation would
work against borderguards and the Blue Stream project. The
construction of the pipeline in this place is illegal since these
waters are part of the 1st and 2nd sanitary-protection zone of
Gelendzhik health resort, where the Law does not allow such construction.
The contradiction of the situation is, that the activists in
this action were protecting the Law, and they stated it in their
notification of the action, and this mean, they did not do any delict.

"INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE ON NORTHERN CAUCASUS"
Informational mail list

***
<20 September 2001, 9.00>

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS BLOCKED "CASTORO" SHIP,
CARRYING OUT PIPING WORKS ON "BLUE STREAM" PIPELINE

(Radical protest action against construction of maritime section of Russia-Turkey pipeline)

On 20 September, 2001 four environmental activists (Yuri
Tertichniy, Roman Levchenko, Natasha Yakovleva and Artyom Shlyonov)
blocked the piping ship "Castoro Otto", carrying out the underwater
piping works for Russia-Turkey pipeline ("Blue Stream") in Drovyanaya
Schel tract bay.
Underwater piping commenced on 18 September. The primary 500
meters long part of pipe was laid.
At 6 AM at dawn the activists swam towards the vessel. One of them
R.Levchenko because of the strong wind could not reach it and
returned to the coast where he was arrested by sentries. Ather
activists reached it and handcuffed themselves to it at the point of
the pipe's entry into the sea.
Nothing is known about them as yet. According to preliminary
information all of them were arrested.
Below find enclosed their statement.

SAVE the BLACK SEA!
STOP the "BLUE STREAM"!

NOTIFICATION ON PROTEST ACTION

On September, 20, 2001 we, on our own behalf and on behalf of
public organizations, the participants of which we are (Socio-
Ecological Union of Western Caucasus, "Autonomous Action" and the
"Rainbow Keepers" Movements), start a radical protest action against
the construction of gas pipeline Russia-Turkey "Blue Stream" in the
water area of the tract Drovyanaya Schel. The action lies in blocking
the construction work on sea part of gas pipeline in coastal offshore waters.
Our decision to make a protest action was caused by great hazard,
posed by sea part of the gas pipeline for ecosystem of the Black Sea
and people of the Black Sea countries.
Gazprom and Italian company ENI, which are responsible for the
erection of sea part of the gas pipeline, did not make objective
ecological project appraisal, did not take into account the public
requirements and trans-border character of the project's effect and
proceed purely from their own economic interests. Thus they create
the hazard of global ecological catastrophe in the Black Sea. And we
could not keep from emphasizing our attitude to the fact that
yesterday here, in Drovyanay Schel, underwater pipe fitting was
commenced. Here and now the crime is being committed in the face of
humanity, and bomb is being put under the Black Sea.
Besides, an unpecedented violation of Russian legislation on the
part of Italian company "Saipem", Russian company "Gazprom" and State
authorities of Russian Federation and Kranodarskiy territory took
place. Due to their actions since July, 2001 in ther basin with a
special protection status, offshore Russia-Turkey pipeline
construction works have been commenced. It is a clear example of
illegality "within the law". Unfortunately this practice is becoming
more and more widespread in Russia. Whenever authorities of Russia
and corporations are stongly interested in something, they do it
without regard to anything. Particularity of this case lies in the
fact that the environmental norms of a country foreign to them are
being unscrupulously violated by the Italian company ENI represented
by its branch - Saipem.
The basin, where the construction is held, with 500 width off the
coast is in the first sanitary protection zone of the federal resort
Gelendzhik, and 2000 meters width - in its 2nd sanitary protection
zone. The sanitary protection zone of Gelendzhik resort was
established as per Enactment #484 of the Council of Ministers of the
Russia, as of 17.12.1987.
As per the Law of Russian Federation "On natural medical
resources, health-improving areas and health resorts" (article.16):
On the territory of the first zone all residence and all types of
prduction activities are prohibited, with an exception for works,
related with research and utilization of natural medical resources
for medicine and health improvement under condition of applying
ecologically pure and rational technologies.
On the territory of the second zone placement of facilities and
objects not related directly with establishment and devlopment of
medical resort and recreation area is prohibited as well as works
polluting the environment and natural medical resources that lead to
their devastation.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this law, decisively prohibiting
a gas pipeline construction in this basin, these works are being
carried out. Public ecological organizations more than once appealed
to various State authorities and to Gazprom management in relation
with illegality of the offhore pipeline construction works in the
basin of Drovyanaya Schel tract. However, neither of the State
authorities responsible for the maintenance of environment and
compliance with the legislation, did not react to those appeals in a due manner.
Gas pipeline construction in the basin is carried out on the basis
of Conclusion of the State Ecological Review for pipeline project
(approved by the Order # 302 as of 18 May, 1998 of the State
Committee for Ecology of RF) and Conclusion of the State Ecological
Review for working project of the offshore pipeline, approved by the
Order #178 as of 31 May, 2001, of the Committee for Natural Resources
of Krasnodarskiy territory.
These conclusions are not legal documents, as they do not reflect
the fact that the offshore Russia-Turkey pipeline construction is
planned on the coastal territory that has a special protection
status. In relation with this, positive conclusions of the review,
permitting the pipeline construction, contradict the Law of RF "On
natural medical resources, health-improving areas and health resorts"
(art.16). And in accordance with superiority of the federal
legislation over the normative Acts, these conclusions have to be cancelled.
Taking this action, we do not transgress the Law and we, as
Russian citizens, execute our constitutional responsibility of
protecting the environment. We defend our right for healthy
environment and stop this harsh violation of the Law.
Current Enactment #4 as of 7 July, 1983, of the Supreme Court of
the USSR "On Court Practice in Execution of the Legislation on
Environment" provides the following:
16. Courts have to consider the fact that the actions of citizens,
executing their social responsibilities on protection of the
environment, are legal and not sunject to criminal or other penalty,
even if they are forced to cause damage to the violator, as in
accordance with the legislation such actions have to be viewed as
necessary defence.
However, we are aware, that the Russian State repressive machine,
most likely, will not consider these circumstances and that it will
seek to punish us to a maximum degree. In relation with this we
declare, that this action is our own initiative and that the
organizations in which we participate are not responsible for it in any manner.
Taking this action we risk our lives and health. It is our
conscious choice and we are fully aware of our responsibility.
Radical form of our protest is our response to atrocius disdain
towards environmental issues and the destiny of the Black Sea on the
part of Russian authorities and ENI and Gazprom companies.
While "normal" ways of that problem's solution, with economic
interests of Russian authorities in realization of this project in
view, do not bring any results, we don't see any other way to stop this illegality "within the law".

OUR DEMANDS

We demand:
- to stop the offshore works of Russia-Turkey pipeline ("Blue
Stream") in the basin, having the special protection status and
making part of the 1st and 2nd zones of the federal sanitary resort Gelendzhik.
- to recognize the Conclusions of the State ecological review,
permitting offshore works of Russia-Turkey pipeline invalid.
- to organize an objective ecological review of the offshore
pipeline project with engagement of community representatives and
international experts

Yu.Tertichny (Socio-ecological Union of Western Caucasus)
R.Levchenko (Socio-ecological Union of Western Caucasus)
N.Yakovleva ("Autonomous Action" Movement)
A.Shlyonov ("Rainbow Keepers" Movement)

20.09.2001

(Inf. Independent Environmental Service on Northern Caucasus)

***
SAVE THE BLACK SEA FROM THE BLUE STREAM

There is no project in the world similar to the "Blue Stream" yet. The
depth of its location is record-breaking: the most "deep-water" gas
pipeline for today is located in the depth of 1600 m. The uniqueness of
the Russian-Turkish project is directly connected with the uniqueness of
the Black Sea: water under 200 m is saturated with hydrogen sulphite. In
such conditions: under high pressure in the solution of active
materials, - even the project developers acknowledge the possibility of
destruction of the pipeline walls.

Consequences of such accident will be catastrophic for the Black sea.
The gas inrush from the pipeline on shelf will cause the emission of
tens millions cubic meters of condensed gas (according to the
preliminary estimations - more than 50 million м3) in water and then in
atmosphere. The spontaneous combustion can happen due to the
electrostatic effects in the mist spray cloud above the emission site.
The combustion of gas can have an explosive nature. Its probability is
proved by numerous cases of spontaneous combustion and explosion of gas
during eruption of mud volcanoes (including underwater volcanoes) in
Azerbaijan, on the Kerch and Taman peninsulas. Lifting and shacking of
water caused by gas can shift friable oozy sediments of the seabed.

In case of the gas inrush on the depth of 1000 m (approximately 15 km
from the coast), where the overpressure of the pipeline is 140
atmospheres, more than 30 million м3 of gas will find outlet to the
water, and then in atmosphere according to the preliminary estimations.
While getting up to the sea surface gas will carry about 600 thousand м3
of water, contaminated with hydrogen sulphite. Hydrogen sulphite will
kill all living organisms around the epicenter of the accident. Together
with water huge quantities of oozy sediments containing hydrogen
sulphite will be lifted up.

In case of mass gas inrush the nature of the Black Sea currents will
promote the movement of hydrogen-sulphide water and dredges to the
Russian coast and further to Crimea (Ukraine).

Pursuing their own interests, Russia and Turkey take the risk of
environmental safety of their countries as well as environmental safety
of all Black Sea countries.

A public campaign for conduction of international governmental and
public environmental expertise of this project has been started in
September. The campaign demands from state bodies (environmental
agencies, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, embassies of Russia and Turkey)
to carry out the ecological expertise and prepare materials for the
public expertise. It also considers publishing articles regarding
problems, connected with "The Blue Stream" in mass media. Detailed
information on implementation of the campaign can be obtained via E-mail
from the Independent Ecological Service on Northern Caucasus -
ies@mail.ru, or from "Pechenega" - pecheneg@ic.kharkov.ua

Any organization and individual, especially from the affected states
from the Black Sea region can take part in the campaign.
S. Shiparenko, "Pechenegi", 15.09.01

36 Electronic Bulletin:
Caucasus Environmental News
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
(CENN)