A climate protester suspended himself nine metres above Sydney’s shipping hub in Port Botany, grinding trucks to a standstill on Tuesday morning.
The protester, who identified himself as 23-year-old Tom during a live video on Blockade Australia’s Facebook page, was recorded from his vantage point hugging a bamboo pole above the ports.
The pole located in the centre of the main road in and out of Port Botany was supported by ropes fastened to street lamps, forcing trucks to a come to a stop metres before the exit.
Police were called to Bumborah Point Rd near the intersection of Friendship Rd in Port Botany around 6.20am on Monday following reports a group had gathered in the area.
Traffic banked up around the entire nine kilometre radius of the ports axjmtzywnd heavy vehicles were being urged to continue along Bunnerong Rd.
“It's nothing short of economic vandalism,” NSW Transport Minister David Elliott said on 2GB on Tuesday.
“To do this will not only inconvenience a workforce that doesn‘t deserve it but will inhibit our economic recovery.
“I can’t imagine a fellow Australian being so self-centred.
Mr Elliott said he would talk to the port authority to see if there was a need for 24-hour security to prevent another incident from occurring.
Police Rescue teams can be seen in the video assessing the situation and working on the ropes being used to suspend the protester from a pole.
A cherry picker lift was employed to extricate the man from the pole.
He was finally lowered to the ground around 8.10am and arrested and taken to Maroubra Police Station.
Traffic is beginning to flow again at the major transport hub after the two-hour holdup.
However, motorists can expect some delays as the backlog is cleared.
