petroleum

"I saw people with bottles filled with petroleum. They got it from the motorbikes. They started attacking the parliament," said Ms Pandey.

She said she understands there are environmental concerns, but “at the end of the day, our purpose was an issue of petroleum supply.”

But such claims are misleading, according to experts such as David DiCarlo, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s petroleum engineering school.

In the midst of a mass – or "smack" – of Pacific sea nettles, Mr Pace coated any skin not covered by his wetsuit with petroleum jelly to protect himself from stings.

The federal petroleum ministry has described these concerns as "largely unfounded".