Sea Shepherd’s flagship vessel the M/Y Steve Irwin arrives into Sydney in fight for the Great Barrier Reef
Saturday, 21 July 2018
Sea Shepherd News
TODAY at 8:00am the M/Y Steve Irwin arrived into Circular Quay as the first port of call on Operation Reef Defence. Hundreds of Sydneysiders were there to greet the Irwin along with esteemed businessman and conservationist Geoff Cousins, former leader of the Australian Greens - Dr. Bob Brown, Australian actor David Field and Jeff Hansen - Managing Director of Sea Shepherd Australia.
The Carmichael Adani coal mine; rail link and coal port, poses serious threats to Australia’s much loved natural Icon, the Great Barrier Reef. This natural world wonder is made up of thousands of reefs, hundreds of islands and over 600 types of corals. This World Heritage area is home to countless species of colourful fish, molluscs and starfish, plus endangered turtles, dolphins, whales and sharks.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore has welcomed the arrival of M/Y Steve Irwin to Sydney.
“Sea Shepherd has been at the frontline of much of the courageous environmental campaigning we’ve seen over the last decade. I welcome their vessel to Sydney Harbour and encourage Sydneysiders and visitors to go on a free public tour before it embarks on its next mission – defending the Great Barrier Reef,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Our flagship, the M/Y Steve Irwin, that has successfully taken on Japanese whale poachers in the Southern Ocean, and protected the whales in the Kimberley and the Great Australian Bight, has a new mission to stop the Adani coal mine. Adani's plans to send hundreds of massive coal ships right through the UNESCO Great Barrier Reef, will have a catastrophic impact on Australia’s whales that call the reef home, in terms of noise pollution and potential ship strike. If the Australian Government will not stand up to the Japanese whale poachers, the very least they can do is say no to Adani and his destructive mega coal mine, that also puts at further risk the 64,000 direct and indirect jobs the reef supports,” said Jeff Hansen, Managing Director, Sea Shepherd Australia.
“The stakes are high, the future of our Great Barrier Reef, the health of our oceans and a liveable climate for our children, for no matter where you live on planet earth, we cannot allow Adani’s climate catastrophe coal mine to proceed. If we lose this one, we all lose, so losing this fight for the reef is not an option. It’s up to us all to make a stand, make a choice, coal or coral? A real future for our children or an unliveable climate for them?” stated Mr Hansen.
"The Adani mine is criminal in terms of the natural laws which sustain life on Earth. Sea Shepherd’s mission will draw in its wake the biggest environmental protest in Australian history, were Adani to go ahead, I will be there with the thousands.” Dr. Bob Brown - Conservationist and former leader of Australian Greens.
“For over seven years Adani have promised jobs and start dates and financial closures and never met one of them. Now they say they’re nearly ready to go again. Not one job at the mine has ever been forthcoming and no financial closure has ever been reached. It’s the same in India. Indigenous groups there told us of all the broken promises when we visited. This company has one of the worst environmental records of any mining company in the world and we don’t want them here – putting the Great Barrier Reef at even more risk than it is already,” stated Geoff Cousins, esteemed businessman and environmentalist.
“Sea Shepherd should be an unnecessary organisation. But our government is determined to make common sense an anathema, so once again the Sea Shepherd is forced to defend the rights of our future generations to own their birthright; the barrier reef as opposed to a great big hole full of third rate coal,” said Australian actor David Field.
The Steve Irwin will be open for free public tours at Circular Quay this weekend, July 21st and 22nd between 10am - 4pm.