UPDATE: As of Thursday morning all 16 pipeline protesters have left the Kinder Morgan site with no arrests. Greenpeace reports they were briefly detained by RCMP after leaving the facility.

COAST SALISH TERRITORY – More than a dozen Greenpeace activists have locked themselves into Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby tar sands pipeline marine terminal. Organizers say the protest was timed to coincide with the federal throne speech in Ottawa.

Shrouded by early morning fog, activists climbed and locked themselves to the facility's Burrard Inlet dockside oil pumping mechanism while others painted “Stop Tar Sands“ on one of two huge Kinder Morgan oil storage tanks and draped a banner off the other. Two more activists chained themselves to the main entrance of the facility east of Vancouver. Burnaby RCMP and the Harbour Patrol were present but made no initial moves to remove or arrest the activists.

Tsleil-Waututh (People of the Inlet) elder Amy George was on hand to support today`s action. She called for an end to tar sands devastation and vowed continued escalating opposition to Kinder Morgan`s pipeline expansion plans.

“We’re here to remind Prime Minister Harper and Premier Clark that British Columbians do not want tar sands pipelines and hundreds of super tankers threatening B.C.’s pristine coast,” said Greenpeace spokesperson Mike Hudema.

“With every extra tanker or kilometer of pipeline, we increase the risk of an accident that would be catastrophic to the coast and our communities,” said Hudema. “On the day of the throne speech, we’re telling Prime Minister Harper to say no to tar sands expansion and yes to a green energy future.”