Plastic treaty: Greenpeace activists board petrochemical ship

Greenpeace activists boarded a petrochemical ship off the coast of South Korea on Saturday, where negotiations on a global treaty against plastic pollution are being held until Sunday, the environmental organization announced.

“Activists from Greenpeace International boarded an oil tanker scheduled to load toxic plastic chemicals from South Korea’s Hanwha TotalEnergies complex,” Greenpeace said in a statement. This resort is located in Daesan, about 60 kilometers southwest of Seoul.

According to Greenpeace, the operation took place from the sailboat Rainbow Warrior, the organization’s main boat. Several activists aboard rubber boats boarded the ship Buena Alba, climbing one of its masts to unfurl a banner demanding a “strong treaty on plastics”.

A petrochemical used to make plastic

Still according to Greenpeace, the Buena Alba, which flies the Panamanian flag, was on its way to Daesan to load propylene, a petrochemical product used to make plastic.

Questioned by AFP, the South Korean Coast Guard said it was informed of the situation and had dispatched personnel to the site.

This action by Greenpeace comes as more than 170 countries are negotiating a global treaty against plastic pollution in Busan, in the south of South Korea.

Talks stall due to opposition

The talks are stalling due to the opposition, for the moment irreconcilable, between a majority of countries wanting an ambitious treaty including cuts in plastic production, and a small group of states, mainly oil producers, who believe that the treaty should only concern waste treatment.

“A treaty that does not address plastic production would be a failure, and this should be a red line for all governments committed to ending the plastic pollution crisis,” the statement wrote. Graham Forbes, head of the Greenpeace delegation in Busan.

Greenpeace denounces the presence in Busan of dozens of petrochemical industry lobbyists who “are using their power, their money and their access to try to ensure that the treaty does not do what it should do, which is turn off the tap of plastic production.

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