Environmental campaigners who attached themselves to an oil drill ship ended their protest yesterday.

Greenpeace activists spent four days in a "survival pod" hanging off the Stena Carron's anchor in an attempt to stop it drilling in the North Sea. It was the latest skirmish in battles between environmental campaigners and oil companies in the wake of the BP oil spill off the coast of Louisiana.

The ship's operator, US energy giant Chevron, was granted an injunction at the Court of Session in Edinburgh ordering the campaigners to move on safety grounds. Greenpeace spokeswoman Leila Deen said they had no choice but to comply. Chevron argued that it needs to be able to move the ship away from the coast in rough seas for safety reasons.

Greenpeace claims that the ship was about to sail for a site in the Lagavulin oil field before drilling an exploratory well in 1,640ft of water.

A Chevron spokesman said: "While we respect the right of Greenpeace or anyone else to express their views by peaceful and lawful action, we deplore activities that could put both the crew as well as the protesters at risk.

"Chevron's priority is always safety. We are confident our deepwater operations are safe. Like Greenpeace, we share the expectation that the energy we all need should be produced safely and with respect for the environment."

Deen called the injunction a "legal hammer" and insisted protests will continue. "Our protest was always safe," she said, "while deepwater drilling is reckless and dangerous."