Picture of Sim from the US, setting up an occupation platform. Leila, on board the Esperanza, writes:
Blimey, this is exciting! Up at 4am, the crew scuttling around the Espy, all the portholes shut tight so that the Navy had no idea we were even awake. Nine brave activists eased into their dry suits and safety gear in the Lounge, a place usually reserved for chillaxing.
Up on the bridge the Captain, surrounded by the ice pilot, the 2nd and 3rd mates, and the actions team, was watching through his binoculars as the 1st mate snuck onto the deck. Checking the sleepy Navy warship once more, Captain raised his hand and our inflatable boats lowered silently into the water.
Still the police and the Navy, with their team of commandos onboard did not respond. At 5.45 am the Captain said one word over the radio, on a channel we rarely use: 'Go'.
In moments the three boats carrying our brave climbers had crossed the 500m security line and arrived at the legs of the Stena Don. Still no response. As we watched through our binoculars, Sim from the US, Jens from Germany, Mateusz from Poland and finally Timo from Finland made their way up the legs of the rig like spidermen.
Finally, the Navy launched their inflatables and commandos. Too late. Our boats were already on their way back. Alpha, one of ours, was chased briefly by the police, but the futility of their effort was clear as Alpha sailed smoothly away and back to its cradle - ready to be winched up onto the Esperanza.
Huge thanks to all those of you who have supported us as we've borne witness to Cairn's catastrophe waiting to happen in this freezing wonderland. The watching is over. The action has begun. We are stopping the Stena Don drilling for oil, their window to complete the drilling is brief before the sea ice returns for the winter. Our climbers are prepared to stay as long as it takes to run Cairn out of time.
- Leila Deen
