BRUSSELS

Around 70 Greenpeace activists on Wednesday blocked access to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, to protest imports from Russia and the US, the Belga news agency reported.

The activists used rubber boats and kayaks to enter the water after hiding from police and coastguard officers in the early hours of the morning, according to Greenpeace.

One of the ships carried a banner with drawings of Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump alongside the slogan "They love gas, you pay the price," while another read "Stop fossil gas."

The demonstration brought together Greenpeace members from Belgium and 17 other countries, including Ukraine.

Greenpeace spokesperson Joeri Thijs, who joined the action in Zeebrugge, said Europe’s dependence on fossil gas is worsening the climate crisis. "Yet we sign long-term contracts, and LNG tankers from the US and Russia sail into Zeebrugge every day," he said.

The group also criticized Belgium for continuing to import Russian LNG despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. Since February 2022, Belgium has spent €6.2 billion ($7.2 billion) on Russian LNG, compared with €3.2 billion in aid to Kyiv, Greenpeace said.

Thijs added that Greenpeace also opposes imports from the US, which largely involve shale gas that the group describes as "even more harmful to the climate."

The LNG terminal in Zeebrugge supplies gas to several European countries, with Germany being a key customer.