Dozens Arrested in Greenpeace Arctic Oil Protest
The Greenpeace flagship, Rainbow Warrior, has been boarded by Dutch security agents in the port of Rotterdam, who broke down the door of the communications room and towed the ship to shore after it intercepted a Russian tanker carrying Arctic oil to Europe.
A total of 44 activists, including crewmembers onboard the Rainbow Warrior and activists in inflatables have been detained after they attempted to block the tanker from docking on the quayside. Greenpeace Captain Peter Willcox is among them.
Commenting on the news, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said:
"Our activists may be detained but this campaign is just getting started. The Arctic 30 spent two months in a Russian prison to shine a light on the madness of drilling for oil in the melting Arctic, and today they have shown real courage once again. We are hugely proud of their bravery and determination.
"From Russia to Rotterdam, our governments remain hopelessly dependent on oil, while the side effects of this addiction become more dangerous by the day. Breaking this chain is not just an environmental imperative, it is a matter of peace and security. The fight to stop Arctic oil drilling is one of the defining battles of our time. We will not be intimidated, and we will win."
Four activists on inflatable boats approached the tanker and painted "No Arctic Oil" in large letters on the hull. After it entered port, a separate group of twenty activists in three inflatables then positioned themselves between the tanker and the quayside to prevent it from offloading oil. A second Greenpeace ship, the Esperanza, also took part to provide logistical support to the activists. Seven members of the Arctic 30 took part in today's protest.
The 258-meter-long "Mikhail Ulyanov" is carrying the first oil from Gazprom's Prirazlomanaya platform located in the Arctic Pechora Sea. The controversial platform was the site of a high profile protest last year which was met with fierce resistance from Russian authorities.
Stanislav Chichin, Master of the Mikhail Ulyanov, commented:
“The actions of Greenpeace cause nothing but profound disappointment. As a Master I know that the actions of Greenpeace have needlessly distracted our highly professional crew from its normal work in an area of highly intensive shipping traffic. The crew of tanker Mikhail Ulyanov made its scheduled voyage from the point of loading in the Pechora Sea towards the discharge port of Rotterdam. At the entrance of the port and in the port during the process of mooring operations they were met by Greenpeace vessels. The actions of Greenpeace break the fundamental principles of international conventions for safety at sea as well as environmental safety.
My responsibility in maneuvering in the confined waters of a port is no less dangerous than sailing in the Arctic, especially when another vessel is trying to interfere with a tanker transporting 67,000 tons of crude oil in an area of ??high intensity shipping. During the process of final voyage and during the mooring operations to the terminal of the port, the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior deliberately tried to prevent the safe mooring of the vessel, putting herself between the hull of the tanker and the berth, risking their people and of the port.
From the seafarers’ point of view the inadequacy of their behavior in marine waters is unprofessional and can only be explained by the desire to make an impression on the general public without thinking about the consequences”.
Currently, the tanker Mikhail Ulyanov is safely moored at the terminal.
Tanker Mikhail Ulyanov
This unique Arctic shuttle tanker was specially designed to transport oil by sea from Russian offshore oil fields and constructed at Russia’s shipyards. The ship was built in accordance with the Rules of Dual Registry of the Russian Registry of Shipping and Lloyd’s Register. The vessel is a double acting ice-breaker, in that she can break ice when moving either ahead or astern. Her length is 257 meters, breadth moulded 34 meters and draft 14 meters.
The vessel is fitted with twin Azipod propulsion units (an electric propeller-ruder system with a 360 degree turning circle), a dynamic positioning system (DP), heli-deck and a bow loading facility adapted for Arctic operations. She is capable of working without icebreaker support during the winter navigation period in ice of up to 1.2 meters thickness.
Before her voyage, Sovcomflot performed extensive checks and completed final adjustments to all elements of Mikhail Ulyanov’s loading system. This work included: special training for crew members; practice loading drills and interaction with supply vessels; trial runs for the vessel approaching the platform in ice conditions, and other necessary preparation.