Two Greenpeace activists are facing criminal charges after climbing onto Woodside Energy's Scarborough offshore gas platform off Western Australia on Saturday, October 17, and staying there overnight.
Authorities arrested the men the following afternoon, and the disruption led Woodside to suspend platform operations while officials investigated.
According to a joint statement from the Australian Border Force, WA Police and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), the men, aged 48 and 52, were charged with interfering with offshore petroleum installations or operations.
The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment, and both were scheduled to appear before Karratha Magistrates Court on October 19.
Protest at Sea and the Scott Reef Campaign
Greenpeace footage showed the activists sailing to the platform, roughly 200 kilometers off Western Australia's coast, before climbing the structure and unfurling a banner opposing Woodside's gas expansion plans.
The demonstration focused on protecting Scott Reef, an area near the proposed Browse gas development.
Woodside later confirmed that operations at the Scarborough platform had resumed, though the incident raised questions about possible disruption to the facility's planned start-up schedule.
Woodside's Scarborough LNG facility was reported to be 98% complete, with an estimated construction cost of $12.5 billion.
The project is designed to produce approximately 8 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually, alongside 6 million cubic meters of natural gas for the domestic market, and was scheduled to begin operating before the end of 2026.
The separate Browse development, which would access Australia's largest undeveloped natural gas resource, has an estimated cost of $48.7 billion according to ABC, while the second report cited an estimate of approximately $34 billion.
The proposed development has faced opposition from environmental groups concerned about potential effects on Scott Reef and marine wildlife, including an endangered whale species.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific chief executive David Ritter defended the protest as part of a broader campaign responding to community concerns about new gas developments.
The organization maintained that its activists' demonstration was peaceful, while Woodside disputed that characterization.
Ritter also addressed a separate demonstration outside Woodside's headquarters in Perth on October 19, where protesters presented a petition they said contained half a million signatures opposing industrial gas development near Scott Reef.
"We are here to show Woodside that they can't ignore half a million people who want Scott Reef protected, not turned into an industrialised gas zone," Ritter said.
The Perth demonstration coincided with the Global Citizen Now conference, where industry and government representatives were discussing energy access, connectivity and the transition to cleaner energy sources.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook criticized the offshore occupation, describing it as a dangerous act because it could put both the protesters and platform workers at risk.
He acknowledged the right to protest but said demonstrations should remain peaceful and respectful.
Woodside also condemned the activists' unauthorized entry and said the incident required a substantial response from Western Australian authorities to address safety, security and operational concerns.
"Greenpeace's unauthorised access was a serious violation of multiple Australian laws designed to protect the safety and security of Australia's offshore facilities," a Woodside spokesperson said.
The company characterized the protest as reckless and illegal, arguing that the actions endangered people, the facility and the surrounding environment.
Authorities said their investigation into the incident was continuing.
