NEWCASTLE, Sunday 30 November 2025 – Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have scaled and blocked a coal ship, sure for the Port of Newcastle right now, through the Rising Tide Individuals’s Blockade, deploying a banner with a message to the Australian authorities: “Part Out Coal and Gasoline”.
Photographs and video right here – footage to be uploaded by 2pm AEDT
Three activists are secured to the anchor chain and sides of the ship, stopping its operations, and have unfurled the five-metre-long banner in a peaceable protest demanding the Australian authorities set a timeline to part out fossil fuels together with exports, and cease approving new coal and fuel tasks.
Australian musicians Oli and Louis Leimbach from Lime Cordiale additionally joined the motion from a assist vessel, whereas Greenpeace activists painted a message to the Australian authorities on the ship’s facet, utilizing non-toxic soluble paint, studying: “TIMELINE NOW!”
It comes after Australia signed onto the numerous Belém Declaration for the Transition Away From Fossil Fuels on the sidelines of COP30 in Brazil final week, however then doubled down on its assist for coal and fuel.
Oli Leimbach from Australian band Lime Cordiale, who carried out at Rising Tide’s Local weather Live performance and joined the Greenpeace motion mentioned: “Rising Tide’s Local weather Live performance final evening was such a lovely pageant; so many passionate folks got here collectively in a peaceable method to demand change from the federal government. By taking motion right now, we added one other little exclamation mark on their voices. Stoked to be right here with Greenpeace — it’s time to part out coal and fuel.”
Dr. Elen O’Donnell, physician and Greenpeace activist who boarded the vessel, mentioned: “We’re taking motion right now, alongside 1000’s of people that have joined Rising Tide’s blockade, to indicate Australia’s leaders that if the federal government gained’t act, the folks will. Australia is the world’s third-largest fossil gasoline exporter, and its outsized position within the local weather disaster requires critical motion. Each cargo of coal that leaves this port contributes to extra devastating bushfires, floods and cyclones. As a health care provider, I’ve seen first-hand the impacts of local weather disasters on folks in Australia and all over the world — I’ve seen how our authorities’s obsession with fossil fuels is harming folks and killing our planet.
“From the facet of this vessel we are able to see ships far out to the horizon, lots of them on their method to gather coal. These industries, and the Australian folks, are owed a transparent plan and timeline for the part out of coal and fuel. We’re risking arrest as a result of we don’t desire a future reliant on coal and fuel.”
Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Local weather and Power at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, mentioned: “The urgency of the local weather disaster can’t be understated. Fossil gasoline manufacturing is hovering and pushing local weather air pollution to lethal new highs.
“At COP30 in Brazil, the Australian authorities joined the landmark Belém Declaration — its strongest assertion but that acknowledges our worldwide dedication to restrict warming to 1.5°C means no new fossil fuels. However simply days later the Albanese authorities doubled-down on coal and fuel — utterly at odds with Australia’s obligation and duty to handle emissions as one of many world’s largest coal and fuel exporters. It’s a joke.
“The Albanese authorities continues to approve new coal and fuel tasks at breakneck pace, increasing manufacturing sooner than some other nation, and with no clear exit technique. Australian employees, communities and the general public have been left within the lurch and deserve higher.
“The clear power transition is right here and there’s no going again. We’ve got the options and what issues is what we do now — Australia should ship a transparent timeline to part out fossil fuels, together with exports, and decide to no new fossil gasoline tasks. Actual management is judged on motion, not speak.
“Greenpeace, alongside Rising Tide and 1000’s of on a regular basis folks, are taking actions huge and small this weekend to ship a united message to the Albanese authorities — we don’t want new fossil fuels, and we’ll proceed to carry you to account.”
The ship was due in to port at round 12:15pm AEDT. Newcastle is the world’s largest coal port. The Rising Tide Individuals’s Blockade is a week-long annual peaceable protest on the Port of Newcastle calling for an finish to new coal and fuel tasks and elevated funding to assist employees through the transition away from coal.
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Kimberley Bernard: +61 407 581 404 or [email protected] or Lucy Keller: +61 491 135 308 or [email protected]
