Sakhalin - Russia   Endangered whales and salmon

Shell is engaged in the world’s largest oil and gas production project, off the coast of the Russian island Sakhalin. The oil pipeline runs through the island, crossing 55 seismic faults and more than a thousand rivers. The environmental permit for the project was recently suspended by the Russian government, due to a large number of violations of Russian environmental law. The Russian government is even considering criminal prosecution. This would be justified: the environmental permit should never have been issued.
The 1200 kilometres of the pipeline that have already been laid has led to major social and environmental problems over the last few years. Erosion and pollution pose a threat to wild salmon. This is an enormous problem for the indigenous people, who are mostly fishers. The project is also places the last 100 West Pacific grey whales in the world under threat. Russian environmental authorities estimate that damage from the project amounts to 10 billion rubles (295 million euros).
to website Sakhalin >