Brent Spar rig begins final journey

The Brent Spar oil installation, the target of a mass Greenpeace protest, last night began its final journey to a seabed graveyard in the Atlantic.

Its owners, the oil giant Shell, said the towing operation began at 9pm and warned Greenpeace that any move to interfere could have "severe consequences". The moving of the 65,000 ton disused oil installation began shortly after a second Greenpeace vessel, the Altair, arrived in the Shetland Islands to aid protesters on the Moby Dick.

Greenpeace, which claims the rig poses an environmental hazard, said: "We are still determined to prevent the dumping." Shell denies there is any risk of pollution.

Open letter to Rifkind, page 17