Police detain Greenpeace activists after protest at Woodside gas platform

Police detained two Greenpeace activists after they climbed Woodside’s Scarborough gas platform during a protest over environmental threats to Scott Reef. AAP reported that the activists were taken into custody on Sunday after spending the night on the floating platform. Greenpeace said no charges had been laid by Sunday afternoon.

The activists gained access at around 5:45am on Saturday, according to AAP, and remained on the platform overnight. The outlet described the structure as a 70,000-tonne floating platform at Woodside’s Scarborough gas site, 375 kilometres off the coast of Karratha in Western Australia.

The protest focused on what the activists said were environmental threats to nearby Scott Reef. Woodside’s account of the action differed in tone from the activists’ stated purpose. A company spokesperson called their conduct “dangerous, reckless and illegal,” according to AAP.

The excerpt does not report charges being laid; the status reported by Greenpeace was that none had been laid by Sunday afternoon. The activists’ detention and the company spokesperson’s criticism are distinct from a formal legal finding. The protest was described as lasting two days in Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s headline.

AAP reported that the pair spent the night at the site and were detained on Sunday. ABC Australia’s headline also said two people were in custody after a protest at an offshore Woodside platform, while Oz Arab Media’s headline said two people were detained following the protest. Those headlines do not add further details about the activists’ actions or legal status.

AAP reported that the Scarborough Energy Project was 98 per cent complete and was set to produce its first liquefied natural gas by the end of 2026. The project’s initial stage includes eight wells, with 13 to be drilled over the life of the field, the outlet said.

Those details place the protest at a gas development that Woodside was approaching completion, while the activists’ stated concern was the environmental threat they associated with the nearby reef. The immediate documented next step is the activists’ legal status: Greenpeace said no charges had been laid by Sunday afternoon.

The source account does not state whether police later laid charges or describe any further decision by Woodside, Greenpeace or authorities. The event centers on the detention following the protest, the activists’ stated concern about Scott Reef, and Woodside’s criticism of their conduct.