More than 100 arrested as Australia climate protest forces coal ship to abort arrival

A climate change protest off the coast of Australia’s New South Wales State forced an inbound ship to turn back from the country’s largest terminal for coal exports on Sunday, the port operator said.

New South Wales police said 138 protesters were arrested on Sunday for refusing to move from the shipping channel near the Port of Newcastle.

According to climate activist group Rising Tide, which organised the demonstration, more than 100 protesters were in the shipping channel near the Port of Newcastle, as part of a 50-hour blockade that started on Friday.

The Port of Newcastle, some 170km (105 miles) from the state capital Sydney, is the largest bulk shipping port on Australia’s east coast.

A Port of Newcastle spokesperson said disruption due to the protest was “minimal” but that an inbound vessel “aborted due to people in the channel and has been rescheduled to come in”.

Port operations would continue as normal on Sunday if police were able to keep the shipping channel clear, he said.