Greenpeace activists initiated a protest action on the Romanian coast, both in water and on land, to draw attention to the risks involved in the Neptun Deep project for the biodiversity of the Black Sea. They marked with a yellow X the place where the pipeline from the sea will enter the land and displayed messages such as: “We protect what we love, we protect the Black Sea”, “OMV & Romgaz, don’t destroy the Black Sea” and “The Black Sea is in danger.” Greenpeace has also launched a petition to support the conservation of marine biodiversity.

“The Black Sea is an ecosystem with thousands of species, from dolphins, seahorses and sea cats, to algae and phytoplankton that play an essential role in regulating the climate and cleaning the air. Between plastics, overfishing and pollution, this ecosystem is struggling to survive. The gas project will do nothing but put even more pressure on the fragile sea life. The Black Sea will become a construction site for years to come, with ten wells drilled around the extraction perimeter, 160 kilometers of pipeline to shore and dozens of ships that will transport the materials for the infrastructure.

Greenpeace calls on the Romanian Government to stop this harmful project and impose much stricter regulations regarding the protection of marine habitats in the Black Sea. Without concrete actions in this regard, we risk losing hundreds of vulnerable species, as happened with the monk seals,” says the organization.

“In addition to the significant impact on the climate, the Neptun Deep deep-sea gas project poses a serious threat to biodiversity. The works done by OMV Petrom and Romgaz turn the Black Sea into a construction site. Marine life will be affected, there is no doubt. Unfortunately, this year the government, the Ministry of the Environment and the oil and gas companies are “celebrating” International Black Sea Day with plans for new wells, platforms and pipelines on the seabed. We at Greenpeace, together with the people who love the Black Sea, will celebrate it by protecting what we love. We will use all the necessary levers to stop this project harmful to life in the Black Sea,” adds Alin Tănase, Greenpeace Romania campaign coordinator.