Greenpeace activists have climbed aboard an oil rig to prevent its departure for Greenland to begin drilling in the Arctic.

The environmental group said on Friday that its activists used speedboats to intercept and climb aboard the Leiv Eiriksson as it left Ýstanbul. The group said activists had unfurled a banner reading: "Stop Arctic destruction."

Greenpeace said activists were prepared to occupy the rig for days. It said the oil rig, operated by Cairn Energy, has "a very short window in which to drill their four new exploratory wells" due to extreme weather conditions in the Arctic.