Footage of sunken Woodside oil tower 50 km from Ningaloo World Heritage Area shared by Greenpeace

After occupying an abandoned Woodside oil tower near Exmouth, environmental activist group Greenpeace have shared footage of another tower, this one submerged underwater. The oil tower, part of the Griffin Field which is around 50 km north-east of the Ningaloo World Heritage Area, stands 47m below sea level according to Greenpeace. The 100m tall Griffin Riser Turret Mooring was sunk in 2013 when it was owned by BHP, and became Woodside property when it took over BHP last year. Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter accused Woodside of leaving its “junk” hidden. “This is not a small structure; it’s the size of an apartment block, and it’s visibly rusting and decaying on the ocean floor in an area full of marine wildlife including whales and several dolphin species,” Mr Ritter said. Oil extraction at Griffin Field stopped in 2009, and in 2021 regulator NOPSEMA ordered BHP to remove the structure. Woodside has said the tower has no contamination risk, and it plans to remove the structure before the end of 2024. “Woodside has performed visual inspections that have confirmed the integrity of the RTM and undertaken studies to analyse the contents of the structure,” a Woodside spokesperson said. “These studies demonstrate that the contents do not have any adverse impact on marine life.” NOPSEMA said it is monitoring Woodside’s progress and will ensure it follows its obligations. On May 13, activists from Greenpeace climbed onto the Nganhurra riser turret mooring, 19km from the Ningaloo World Heritage Area, hoisting a banner calling on Woodside to remove the structure.