UK firm Cairn strikes oil off coast of Greenland

British firm Cairn Energy, the first to be allowed to drill off the coast of Greenland, will announce tomorrow that it has struck oil. Cairn has not confirmed the find, but a Greenland government spokesman said he "hoped" to hear good news tomorrow.

The news will delight the oil industry and Greenland’s government – as well as being good news for Cairn’s shareholders. It will cement the firm's reputation for discovering oil on previously unexplored
frontiers.

But the latest discovery will dismay environmentalists who fear a 'gold rush' in the pristine waters of the Arctic. A Greenpeace ship, Esperanza, is in the area today, engaged in a stand-off with a Danish warship.

Read a full report at the Guardian ·