Update: Greenpeace Activists Interrupt Gazprom Drilling Operations Again, Get Blasted From Boat [Video]

Three days after six Greenpeace activists attached themselves to an Arctic offshore oil rig off the coast of Russia, the organization has interrupted the oil rig's operations again today.

At 3:30 AM, 14 Greenpeace activists, in two high-speed boats, intercepted a supply vessel as it prepared to drop 50 workers off for a shift change on Gazprom's oil rig, the Prirazlomnaya.  The boats attached themselves to th anchor line of the vessel.  According to Greenpeace, after delaying the shift change for nearly seven hours, Gazprom informed its chief officer to use any means necessary to get operations back up and running.

The boats were then subjected to a stream of water blasted from two stand-by vessels fire monitors.  This high-pressurized fire hose blew the activists out of their boat.  The boats were then cut from the anchor and the vessel finally headed toward the oil rig.  Greenpeace then deployed another set of boats which blocked the vessel again.

Prirazlomnaya represents the first offshore oil rig to attempt deepwater drilling in the Arctic.  With the climate in such a tenuous position, as highlighted by recent findings that Arctic sea ice has hit a record low, organizations such as Greenpeace are ardently protesting drilling in such a fragile and critical region of the globe.

Stay updated on Greenpeace's actions in the Arctic via their live blog.

Image credit: Greenpeace