Greenpeace is urging Greece to abandon its deep-sea gas exploration project in the Mediterranean, citing new research that suggests it would have a greater impact on endangered whales and dolphins than previously thought. Last year, a survey in the waters off southwestern Greece and Crete, where exploratory drilling is planned, found that sea mammals were present year-round. This area overlaps with the Hellenic Trench, a vital habitat for several species of marine mammals already threatened by fishing, ship collisions, and plastic pollution. While current environmental safeguards limit drilling to the winter breeding period, a survey published in the Endangered Species Research journal discovered that four species of cetaceans, including sperm whales and Cuvier’s beaked whales, are present in the area throughout the year. Greenpeace Greece emphasizes the ecological importance of this part of the Mediterranean and criticizes the government and oil companies for pursuing hydrocarbon exploration, calling it a crime against nature and a detriment to the fight against the climate crisis. Greenpeace is calling on the Greek government to cancel all offshore drilling permits.
In 2019, Greece granted exploration rights for two blocks of seabed south and southwest of Crete to an international energy consortium. Smaller projects are also underway farther north. ExxonMobil and Greece’s Helleniq Energy recently completed a seismic survey of the seabed and initial exploratory drilling could start in 2025. Greek officials state that they are following the strictest environmental standards.
However, critics argue that the seismic survey, which involves bouncing sonic blasts off the seabed to identify gas deposits, can have detrimental effects on sound-sensitive cetaceans. Environmentalists also raise concerns about the significant undersea noise that would result from drilling and extracting gas. The new report, conducted by Greenpeace Greece, the University of Exeter, and the Athens-based Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute, documented the presence of at least five species of cetaceans, including 14 sperm whales, during the winter of 2022. The research follows similar studies conducted during the summer months.
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