Equinor quit the Great Australian Bight, following BP and Chevron, who also abandoned their risky drilling plans.

A student-led flotilla including kayaks, sailboats, paddle boards, and surfboards set sail in Apollo Bay Harbour to send a message to oil companies that they are not welcome to drill in the Great Australian Bight. The flotilla was organised by a 15-year-old student from nearby Apollo Bay College. The event coincided with the Rainbow Warrior's visit to the town, as part of the Making Oil History ship tour. Over the coming months, the Rainbow Warrior will investigate, document, and showcase Australia’s most unsung treasure - Great Australian Bight - to the entire country and the rest of the world in preparation for the battle against oil drilling.

This comes after Chevron and BP, the other major oil companies, quit their plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight following relentless campaigning from Greenpeace and our supporters.

Citing the Bight as “not commercially competitive”, Equinor abandoned its plans to drill 2.5 kilometres deep, which would’ve disturbed the unique ecosystem of the Bight. The company was the last major oil company with a permit to explore drilling prospects in the Bight.

We s쳮ded by petitioning BP to withdraw its oil drilling plans and by pressuring NOPSEMA to do what’s right by our fragile ecosystems, setting a strong precedent for future oil giants who may seek to exploit the natural resources of the Great Australian Bight.