CHENNAI, India — MV Esperanza, an iconic campaigning ship of the environmental group Greenpeace, docked at Chennai Port this morning for a week-long tour of the sub-continent to highlight the fragile beauty and vulnerability of India's coastal and marine ecosystems. This is the Esperanza's maiden voyage to India, although the country has played host to the Rainbow Warrior and the Arctic Sunrise, part of the Greenpeace fleet, on three prior occasions.
The Esperanza was given a warm welcome by the sailing community of Chennai who created a flotilla with sailboats and yachts to receive her. The visit to Chennai is part of a global 'Defending our Oceans' expedition – Greenpeace' most ambitious expedition to date – that started in November 2005. As the Esperanza continues her expedition, she will sail four of the world's five oceans (with the sole exception of the Arctic Ocean) to bring into focus the urgent need to set in place protective measures to conserve marine ecosystems before they are irretrievably destroyed.
"India has an 8000 km long coastline, and an amazing diversity of marine habitats and endangered species. Yet, surprisingly little is known about these areas, and even less is being done to protect them," said Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India, "As we have shown elsewhere in the world during the Esperanza's expedition, the world's oceans are in a state of crisis, but it is not too late to turn the tide. The oceans might seem infinite to us, but they are fast approaching the limits of their endurance. The need is for action, and the time for it is now."
The Defending our Oceans expedition began in November 2005, when the Esperanza set sail from Cape Town in South Africa, heading to the Southern Ocean to expose the slaughter of whales under the guise of scientific research. Before heading to India, the Esperanza was touring the Mediterranean region, where it highlighted the disappearance of the bluefin tuna.
Over the course of the expedition, the Esperanza has confronted Japanese whalers, explored deep sea life in the Azores and exposed pirate fishing in West Africa . Along the way, Greenpeace has won the support of thousands of Ocean Defenders, signing up online at http://oceans.greenpeace.org. Greenpeace aims to gather 1 million Ocean Defenders by the end of the expedition, creating a powerful constituency to speak up for the world's oceans.
We invite journalists to join us for the Key Media Opportunities during the ship tour:
- Human art at the Beach to highlight the urgent need to 'Save Our Seas' (Photo opportunity)
Date: 18th July. Time: 9 am Venue: Schmidt Memorial, Besant Nagar Beach
(We will be highly visible – look for a 100 ft high crane!)
- Press Conference on board the Esperanza, docked at the Chennai Port.
Date: 18th July. Time: 11 am (right after the beach event).
Venue: The heli-deck on the Esperanza
(Press will need to meet our media team at VIP Gate no. 7 between 10.45 and 11.00 am)
- Interviews (Radio/Television/Print in English, Hindi and Tamil) with the Oceans Campaigners, Greenpeace India and a 19 member international crew (details available on request)
For further information, contact
Sanjiv Gopal, Oceans Campaigner & Project Leader: +91 98455 35416 
Namrata Chowdhary, Media Officer, Greenpeace India: +91 98108 50092 
Abhilash C. S (Chennai coordinator) +91 98408 16024