Arctic Sunrise in the Barents Sea

The Arctic Sunrise, with activists and crew on board from 19 different countries will document, expose and challenge the Norwegian government and Statoil’s aggressive search for new oil in the Barents Sea.

Only two weeks after signing the Paris Climate Agreement, the Norwegian government decided to open up a completely new area in the Barents Sea for the first time in over 20 years. We can’t afford oil companies expansion into the world’s last frontiers searching for new oil if we are to keep our families and homes out of harm's way.

15 oil drillings are expected this year in Arctic Barents Sea, a record number. The Norwegian state-owned Statoil alone is planning to drill five exploratory wells. The most northern and controversial is the Korpfjell license located more than 400 km from land. The oil licence is close to the Arctic ice edge, an important feeding ground for seabirds and wildlife. The remoteness of the area increases the response time for rescue if oil spills happen. The Norwegian government has ignored all warnings from environmental agencies and organisations.