Greenpeace has reached a settlement with Shell in a lawsuit, which is one of the largest against the environmental organization. The dispute began after a spectacular protest in 2023, when Greenpeace activists occupied a floating production platform of Shell near the Shetland Islands.

As part of the settlement, Greenpeace will donate 300,000 pounds to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Shell had argued that the protests endangered the safety of its crew at sea. In addition, Greenpeace committed to maintaining a distance of at least 500 meters from four Shell platforms in the North Sea for a minimum of five years.

Shell expressed satisfaction with the agreement and emphasized that the payment should be made in favor of safety at sea. The oil and gas company had originally demanded that Greenpeace undertake no further actions against Shell installations worldwide – a demand that Greenpeace rejected.

Greenpeace used the case to draw public attention to fossil energy companies and received prominent support. Internally, the case was referred to as the "Cousin Greg" lawsuit, in reference to a scene from the series Succession. The media attention led to donations from celebrities such as Jesse Armstrong, Emma Thompson, and Stephen Fry.

Shell thought that a lawsuit over millions would intimidate us, but it became a PR disaster for them," said Areeba Hamid, co-director of Greenpeace UK. The organization accepted no liability and pays Shell no compensation.

Greenpeace remains under pressure from similar lawsuits by other fossil fuel companies. In the USA, the organization faces an existential threat from a lawsuit by the pipeline operator Energy Transfer, relating to protests from 2016. The Italian oil company Eni also initiated legal action against Greenpeace in October.

The 2023 protest targeted new oil and gas projects by Shell. Activists climbed onto the platform with ropes and unfurled a banner with the message "Stop drilling, start paying." They demanded that profits from fossil fuels be used for climate protection.

The agreement ends the specific dispute but highlights the growing rift between environmental activists and fossil fuel companies, which are increasingly taking action against activism.