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Dozens Arrested in Kayak Blockade at Newcastle Coal Port as Activists Demand Phase-Out

Police arrested 32 people after climate protesters used kayaks to block shipping channels at the Port of Newcastle, organisers said. Rising Tide and Greenpeace staged actions they say forced two coal ships to turn back and saw activists climb the hull of the Yangze 16. Authorities called some tactics "unsafe" but said port operations continued, while campaigners urged the government to set a timetable to phase out coal and gas amid new disclosure laws for large emitters.

04:39 PM, 11/30/2025Environment
Dozens Arrested in Kayak Blockade at Newcastle Coal Port as Activists Demand Phase-Out

Australian police detained 32 people over the weekend after climate protesters used kayaks and shipboard actions to disrupt traffic at the Port of Newcastle, one of the world’s largest coal export terminals.

What happened

Authorities said the arrests occurred on Saturday and in the early hours of Sunday. New South Wales state police reported that several demonstrators engaged in what they called "unsafe practices" on the water and reiterated a "zero-tolerance" approach to any actions that endanger public safety or the safe passage of vessels.

Organisers from Rising Tide said flotillas of kayaks entered the shipping channels and forced two coal vessels to turn back instead of entering the port. The group said nearly 100 people in about 50 kayaks returned to the shipping channel on Sunday.

Environmental group Greenpeace reported that activists scaled the side of the coal ship Yangze 16 and unfurled a banner reading: "Phase out coal and gas." Greenpeace said police landed on the ship's deck by helicopter and detained two protesters after what the group described as a seven-hour action.

Reactions and context

"As the world's third-largest fossil fuel exporter, Australia plays an outsized role in the climate crisis," said Joe Rafalowicz, a climate campaigner with Greenpeace Australia Pacific, calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government to set a clear timetable to phase out coal and gas and to stop approving new fossil-fuel projects.

A Port of Newcastle spokesperson said shipping schedules continued through the weekend and that vessel operations would resume as scheduled. Police and port officials emphasised maintaining safe navigation while enforcing marine laws.

Separately, Australia's parliament this week passed new environmental legislation requiring large, carbon-intensive projects to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and set pollution-reduction targets. The Climate Council, an independent NGO, warned the law falls short of obliging the government to factor a project's climate pollution into approval decisions.

Despite major investments in renewable energy, Australia remains heavily linked to fossil fuels: it is among the world's top coal exporters, holds the third-largest coal reserves, and continues to provide substantial public subsidies to the fossil-fuel industry.

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