Actress Lucy Lawless climbs oil-drilling ship

In this photo provided by Greenpeace, actress Lucy Lawless joins activists in stopping a Shell-contracted drillship from departing the port of Taranaki, New Zealand, Friday, Feb. 24, 2012. / AP Photo/Greenpeace

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Television actress Lucy Lawless climbed aboard an oil-drilling ship Friday in New Zealand, joining six Greenpeace activists to try to stop the vessel from setting off for the Arctic.

Speaking from atop a 174-foot (53-meter) drilling tower aboard the Noble Discoverer in Port Taranaki, Lawless told The Associated Press on Friday that wind gusts were making it difficult to stay put but that she and the other protesters planned to stay there for "as long as we possibly can." She said she had a "little bit" of food and some provisions with her.

The protesters hung banners from the drilling derrick reading "Stop Shell" and "(hashtag)SaveTheArctic."

The ship is chartered by oil company Shell. Shona Geary, the company's New Zealand spokeswoman, said the ship was due to leave over the weekend for a drilling program in the Arctic but that all operations aboard had come to a stop.

"We are taking a very calm and measured approach to this," she said.

Police spokesman Grant Ogilvie said early Friday afternoon that five police officers boarded the ship. They had made contact with the protesters and were trying to determine their intentions. The port remained open but access was restricted, Ogilvie said.

"The protesters are clearly breaking the law by trespassing on the ship," said Police Inspector Blair Telford in a statement.

Lawless, 43, a native New Zealander, is best known for her title role in "Xena: Warrior Princess." More recently she has starred in "Spartacus: Blood and Sand."

Lawless said she was taking direct protest action for the first time in her life to protest oil drilling and to draw attention to climate change.

"I've got three kids. My sole biological reason for being on this planet is to ensure that they can flourish, and they can't do that in a filthy, degraded environment," she said. "We need to stand up while we still can."

Greenpeace spokesman Nathan Argent said the ship was due to drill five exploratory wells during the Arctic summer. He said Greenpeace is concerned about the rush of companies trying to drill in the Arctic and the potential for catastrophic spills in the ecologically sensitive region.

"The oil companies are pushing the frontiers in the Arctic," he said. "There's a relentless push to get the last drops of oil."

In a statement, Shell said the actions of Greenpeace were jeopardizing everybody's safety.

"Shell has taken unprecedented steps to pursue safe, environmentally responsible exploration in shallow water off the coast of Alaska," the company said.

[gmiller1969]

Through her overboard! Please!!!!!!!

[phwtb100]

Funny how ALL of the "Greenpeace" members have NO problem flying to and from their target locations in petroleum driven air craft, using petroleum driven boats, driving petroleum driven cars or riding on petroleum driven city buses when they need to get from one spot to another while traveling or at home delivering their "sole biological reason for being on this planet" to and from school, hockey, baseball, scouts, music, and dance lessons.

Funny how ALL of them have absolutely NO problem using ALL the plastics that are made from petroleum to store their 'supplies' when sitting in protest or when 'securing' their home, and self, for fowl weather while away from home on those boats they are using to do absolutely nothing BUT WASTE that precious petroleum based commodity they are fighting so hard to stop being produced.

Funny how all those greenPEACE 'celebrities", like Lucy Lawless, Elton John, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, have NO problem gunking on all that petroleum based make-up in their personal lives, in their professional lives and, of course, when they have to prepare for the 'public interviews' with all the news papers and TV crews that cover their professional and 'protesting' events. And lets certainly not forget to mention Ellen DeGeneres who, while claiming to be a "deep-rooted Greenpeace activist", actually gets PAID tons of money to do COMMERCIALS to sell all those petroleum based makeup products for CoverGirl to every other women in the country. Perhaps even the world...

The truth is there is NO PEACE in Greenpeace, and Greenpeace, just like Peta, are nothing more than celebrity supported terrorist organizations and they should be dealt with accordingly. Preventing someone from earning their living isn't going to solve the problem. If they really wanted to change the world, they would do so legally. Let the Captain, his crew, and Shell sue the crude out of all of them for lost wages. Maybe when the organizations have to 'man up' they will rethink their tactics.

Had I been the captain of that Shell vessel, I would have set sail with all of them on board. If they wanted off, let them dive into the water to do so. If not, let their 'little provisions' take care of them for the full time of the trip they could survive or until they could make arrangements, via their own private communication systems, to be rescued by their "greenpeace friends" wherever we happen to be at the time. Once their friends did arrive, I would have NO problem quickly helping all of the protestors into the water, where they could remain as floating buoys for easier pick up.

[Martha12345]

The ship just needed to go to sea and she'd come right down, barfing up all the way. Who knows, may be she would have been washed over board and ended up as Orca food.

[dhs47]

Lawless is clueless.

[credibility2]

...trespassers should be beaten off the ship or shot for committing their crimes...

[Well_You_Aint_Me]

I was thinking telling them we are about to setting sail and only have provisions for the crew. We will be gone six months. We aern't coming back so you can go to the store and we aren't sharing with you. You get hungry, need a shower sleep, or medications, etc. you have to swim to get them.

[credibility2]

Greenpeace is nothing more than a front for anarchy and criminality. The ships should have armed crew and properly warn these criminals and if they don't obey the orders, they should open fire on them.

[longtree-2009]

had to read the article. seriously, never heard of her.