Shell to re-route Corrib pipeline around Rossport

Shell has announced this afternoon that the controversial Corrib gas pipeline is to be re-routed.

But campaigners gave a cool response to the latest development in a four-year saga.

The nine-kilometre onshore stretch of the Co Mayo pipeline caused safety concerns for residents and prompted a sustained public campaign that led to the jailing of five protesters for 94 days last year. The men became known as the Rossport Five.

Today Shell, which heads a consortium involving Marathon Oil and Statoil, said it was responding to the local concerns by changing the route around Rossport.

It also said its decision meant it would review the injunction proceedings it was taking against protesters who have succeeded in blocking works on the pipeline.

"The Corrib Gas partners today confirmed that they will modify the route of the onshore section of the Corrib gas pipeline in the vicinity of Rossport to address community concerns relating to the proximity of the pipeline to housing, as recommended by the mediator, Mr Peter Cassells, in his report published last week."

Mr Cassells was appointed mediator by Minister for Natural Resources Noel Dempsey as fractious relations between the Shell-led consortium and protesters meant face-to-face meetings could not take place.

Shell suspended work on the pipeline after a safety audit was ordered by Mr Dempsey, and the company admitted breaching the terms of its planning consents.

"We have made a number of key changes over the past year. We have agreed to implement all of the recommendations in the Independent Safety Review; we have an expanded team in Mayo engaging with the local community and we have publicly apologised for the hurt caused last summer," managing director Andy Pyle said today.

"I believe that these changes together with today's announcements mark a real turning point in this project."

He said the company would now be proceeding with the project and he promised that Mr Cassells's recommendations on sourcing local services would be acted upon.

"This pipeline is safe. It's time for this project to move forward, and we believe that the best way to do so is to modify the pipeline route in line with Mr Cassells's recommendations," Mr Pyle said.

But Dr Mark Garavan of the Shell-to-Sea campaign told RTÉ radio that the route change did not address the central problem of where the gas would be processed.

"The problem is that Shell are in complete denial about the problem that they face.

"The processing of the gas is occurring nine kilometres inland, and it is that design flaw - not addressed in today's statement - which is causing the need to bring the production pipeline inevitably through populated areas," Dr Garavan said.

Instead Shell had decided for public relations purposes to move part of the route a few yards and effectively "proceed with the project unamended", he said.

"Minor route adjustments of the pipeline within the existing corridor within Rossport falls woefully short of what is required to resolve the problem," Dr Garavan said.

Shell's strong hint that it would drop proceedings against six protesters was likely informed by a ruling last Monday requiring discovery of Shell documents, Dr Garavan added.

Sinn Féin spokesman on natural resources, Martin Ferris, supported the claim, saying the company wanted to avoid objectors getting possession of key information.

"It confirms what many of us believe; that the entire deal regarding the Corrib field stinks to high heaven. The fact that Shell is willing to abandon its campaign of intimidation rather than shed any light into this dark corner speaks for itself," Mr Ferris said.

Fine Gael leader and Mayo TD Enda Kenny welcomed today's news, saying he looked forward to "further reports from Shell on the possibilities that exist in relation to the moving of the onshore section of the pipeline".

Labour's Tommy Broughan said the decision to re-route the pipeline was a "significant step forward"

"It is now critical that Mr Andy Pyle and Shell engage further with the residents of Rossport and Erris to ensure that any re-routed location will not produce similar anxieties for other Mayo residents as those endured by the Rossport 5 and their supporters," Mr Broughan said.