Greenpeace urges Greece to scrap offshore drilling project because of impact on whales, dolphins

Greenpeace has urged Greece to abandon its deep-sea gas exploration project in the Mediterranean, arguing that the project's impact on endangered whales and dolphins is more significant than previously thought, based on recently published research.

According to the environmental group, a survey conducted in the waters off southwestern Greece and Crete, where exploratory drilling is planned, found that sea mammals are present in the area both in winter and summer, as reported by Phys.Org. 

The exploration area largely overlaps with the Hellenic Trench, which is the deepest part of the Mediterranean, reaching depths of 5,267 meters. This trench is a critical habitat for several species, including the endangered sperm whales and other marine mammals already facing threats from fishing, ship collisions, and plastic pollution.

Current environmental safeguards for the project restrict exploration to the winter months to minimize the impact on whale and dolphin breeding periods. However, the recent survey published in the Endangered Species Research journal discovered that at least four species of cetaceans, including sperm whales and Cuvier's beaked whales, are present in the area year-round.

Kostis Grimanis from Greenpeace Greece emphasized the ecological importance of this Mediterranean region and criticized the government and oil companies for persistently pursuing hydrocarbon exploration in these waters. He described it as an "absurd crime against nature" that would not only harm marine species but also hinder the fight against the climate crisis by exploiting undersea fossil fuels.

Greenpeace has called for the cancellation of all offshore drilling permits in the region.

In 2019, Greece granted exploration rights for two seabed blocks south and southwest of Crete to an international energy consortium, with smaller projects underway farther north. ExxonMobil and Greece's Helleniq Energy recently completed a three-month seismic survey in the two major blocks, and the Greek government plans to commence initial exploratory drilling there in 2025.