PORT of Newcastle has become the focus of intense anti-coal actions in recent days, with protests and acts of civil disobedience.
Activist group Rising Tide on Monday (1 December) released a social media statement saying that 16 people had locked themselves to “coal equipment” at the port, part of the so-called People’s Blockade.
According to New South Wales Police, fifteen adults were arrested and had since been charged with entering or remaining on a major facility to “seriously disrupt”.
This followed actions on Sunday that led to police making 141 arrests at Newcastle Harbour.
New South Wales Police confirmed the Sunday arrests, with incidents including two protestors boarding a ship and in another case police deployed a jet ski after a boat entered an exclusion zone.
“Police witnessed several unsafe practices on the water over the course of the event despite requests that attendees refrain from entering the harbour with the intention to obstruct users of the port,” NSW Police said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Port of Newcastle said vessel scheduling continued as normal across the weekend, with minimal impact to operations.
“We are disappointed that the actions of illegal protestors disrupted, not only coal, but diversified trade movements when Rising Tide assured our region that it would not,” the spokesperson said.
“The Pan Optimum, which arrived 24 hours late, is carrying alumina bound for Tomago Aluminium and was one of the non-coal vessels aborted on Sunday due to illegal protestors posing a safety risk in the shipping channel.
“Port of Newcastle continues to take real action through our focus on diversification, including fulfilling our role as critical enabler for that State's renewable energy rollout.”