Shell to Sea Fleet

The Shell to Sea Fleet (Irish: Cabhlachán Shell chun Sáile) was the informal title of a collection of small water craft used during Shell to Sea protests against Royal Dutch Shell's Corrib gas project in northwest County Mayo during August and September 2008 . The Shell to Sea campaign opposes the proposed onshore refining of the Corrib gas, and prefers that it be done offshore as with Ireland's other gas field. The activists who manned the craft came from Mayo as well as Munster, Leinster, Wales, England and Germany.
The craft ranged in size from small inflatable dinghies to four-metre Rigid Inflatable Boats (used as safety boats), and also included rigid and inflatable kayaks, a sailing dinghy and a currach. All were named after historical figures, usually Irish. The craft were mostly used to disrupt preparatory work for a pipeline intended to be laid by the Allseas ship Solitaire, the largest pipe-laying ship in the world. It was intended that the ship lay pipe between the Corrib Field (80km to the west of County Mayo) and Glengad beach in Erris. The Solitaire and its supply ships were also visited by a section of the Fleet in Killybegs, informed of the background to the Corrib gas controversy, and asked not to work on the project.
A traditional Blessing of the Fleet for the Shell to Sea craft was carried out by Father Nallen, parish priest of Kilcommon, with Rossport Five member Mícheal Ó Seighin giving the reading . Kilcommon parish is where Shell are building a refinery, and intend to build a pipeline to carry the Corrib gas to the refinery. Irish Navy ships deployed to assist the Garda Water Unit in policing the protests were also visited by the Fleet.
Most of the Fleet's activity took place around Glengad beach, the intended landfall of the pipeline, where dredging and other work was being carried out in anticipation of the pipeline. Dozens of arrests (under public order charges) of the marine activists were made over August and early September 2008, but none were charged .
In mid-September, the Solitaire arrived in Broadhaven Bay. Some fishermen were arrested after approaching the ship in their fishing boats, but were also released without charge. After one night lying at anchor, its crane broke and it left for repairs. SEPIL has stated they intend to try laying the pipe again in the spring of 2009.
On St. Patrick's Day 2009, part of the Fleet took part in a demonstration on Dublin's River Liffey in support of Shell to Sea campaigner Maura Harrington, who is imprisoned nearby.

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