Two Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists were arrested by specialist police climbers on the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Yangze 16 outside the Port of Newcastle on Sunday, November 30, following a seven-hour protest during Rising Tide’s People’s Blockade.
The activists scaled the 229-metre-long vessel around 8:00 am AEDT, suspending themselves from its side with a banner reading “PHASE OUT COAL AND GAS,” halting operations and delaying its scheduled 12:15 pm arrival.
A third activist, secured to the anchor chain, safely disembarked amid changing weather; no charges have been filed as of Monday.
The Port of Newcastle, the world’s largest coal export terminal with a capacity exceeding 211 million tonnes annually, saw its channel disrupted as two other coal ships were blocked by a flotilla in the prior two days, closing the facility for the remainder of Sunday.
Organised by Rising Tide, the multi-day “People’s Blockade” drew thousands to protest fossil fuel exports from the Hunter Valley, demanding an end to new projects and a phase-out timeline.
Police arrested 141 protesters overall, deploying helicopters to access the Yangze 16 deck around 1:45 pm before the 3:30 pm apprehensions.
Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, defended the action from the shore: “The right to peaceful protest is a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy and a basic right of all Australians.
“Change requires showing up and speaking out, and that’s what our activists are doing in Newcastle today.”
Rafalowicz said that Australia, as the world’s third-largest exporter of fossil fuels, has a disproportionately large impact on the global climate crisis.
He emphasised that peaceful protests urging the Australian government to establish a clear timeline for phasing out coal and gas, and to halt approvals for new fossil fuel projects, are both legitimate and important.
Rafalowicz affirmed Greenpeace’s support for their activists and all peaceful climate campaigners advocating for meaningful climate action, both at the blockade and across Australia.
Australia’s coal and gas exports, primarily to Asia via ports like Newcastle, link to about 4.5 per cent of global emissions despite domestic output at 1 per cent, with projections holding steady through 2035 absent policy shifts.
