The Arctic 30 thank YOU for your support

All of the Greenpeace 'Arctic 30' have now returned home, having been detained in Russia for 100 days following a peaceful protest against Arctic oil drilling. Through this video, they would like to express their gratitude to all those around the world who have shown support for their cause. 2013-12-29

Video details



This page has been archived, and may no longer be up to date

History

The Arctic Sunrise's first trip took it to the North Sea and the northeast Atlantic, where Greenpeace documented marine pollution by oil from offshore installations. Since then it has worked everywhere from within 450 miles of the North Pole, to Antarctica’s Ross Sea, and has navigated both the Congo and the Amazon.

Designed as an icebreaker, its rounded, keelless hull allows it to navigate through sea ice - but also makes life rather interesting in rolling seas. In 1997, The Arctic Sunrise became the first ship to circumnavigate James Ross Island in the Antarctic, a previously impossible journey until a 200m thick ice shelf connecting the island to the Antarctic continent collapsed. This was just one of the many signs of climate change which the Arctic Sunrise has helped document.

The Arctic Sunrise has returned repeatedly to the Arctic to work on a variety of issues, included several visits to Alaska to study climate change and to oppose Northstar, British Petroleum's project to open up a new offshore oil frontier that threatened oil spills in this vulnerable region, and further contributing to global warming.

In 2009, the ship spent many months working around the coast of Greenland and Arctic sea ice, documenting the effects of climate change on the region.

In the Southern Oceans, the Arctic Sunrise, along with its sister ship the Esperanza, thwarted Japanese attempts to pursue its so-called "scientific" whaling programme;  it also chased pirate vessels fishing illegally for Patagonian Toothfish to the pirate port of Mauritius.

Manoeuvring directly into the missile's path did not prevent the US from proceeding in 2000 to test its "Star Wars"missile defence system, which threatens to ignite a new nuclear arms race.

Fortunately the Arctic Sunrise survived to tell the tale and continued on to Argentina for the start of the Latin America toxics tour in 1998.

Specifications

Port of registry: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Former name: Polarbjorn
Date of charter: 1995
Number of berths: 28
Inflatable boats: 2 Ribs and 2 inflatabes
Helicopter capable: Yes
Type of ship: Sea-going motor yacht
Call sign: PE 6851
Built: 1975 by AS Vaagen Verft
Gross tonnage: 949 tonnes
Length O.A: 49.62 m
Breadth: 11.50 m
Maximum Draught: 5.30 m
Maximum Speed: 13 Knots
Main engine: MAK 9M452AK 2495 IHP 1619kW
Aux engines: 2 * 163 KW (Deutz BF6M1013MC)
Bow & stern thrusters: 400 hp each

Personal Accounts

Captain of the Arctic Sunrise Arne Sorensen during the Southern Ocean expedition in December 1999

We are peacefully protesting against illegal Japanese whaling in the waters around Antarctica when we hear a mighty crash and the ship rolls heavily. The chief engineer David de Jong rushes to the bridge shouting, "That didn't sound like ice"!
He's right - it's neither sea ice nor an iceberg, but the Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru, 10 times the Arctic Sunrise's weight, ramming us.
Despite risking the lives of both crews, fortunately no one is hurt.

Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University after the Arctic Meltdown expedition in 2009

"The offer by Greenpeace to use the ship and her helicopter, and the assistance offered towards the cost of the ice mass balance buoys, demonstrate Greenpeace's commitment to supporting critical climate research in the vital area relating to changes in Arctic ice volumes and thickness - the theme that underlay all of the ship's work this summer. The support offered by the whole crew on board was amazing - unstinted, professional, and far better than I normally find on government-owned research ships."

The latest updates

 

Farewell to Uli

Blog entry by Gerd Leipold | 17 June, 2014 9 comments

Ulrich von Eitzen, Operations Director of Greenpeace International from 2004 until 2013 and then a senior advisor to the Executive Director’s Office, finally lost his battle with cancer last Thursday, 12 June, 2014. The way he...

Our Arctic Sunrise is coming home

Blog entry by Ben Ayliffe | 6 June, 2014 4 comments

Earlier this morning we had a remarkable phone call from Murmansk. It was from the team of lawyers representing Greenpeace International telling us that the Russian Investigative Committee (IC) had decided to release the Arctic...

The perilous space between an oil tanker and a harbour

Blog entry by Kumi Naidoo | 2 May, 2014 13 comments

This morning, one of the busiest harbours in the world was the backdrop for a citizen action to do what governments are seemingly unable or unwilling to; reject arctic oil drilling and stand up to the single-minded and ecologically...

Seeking justice for the Arctic 30

Blog entry by Sergey Golubok and Kristin Casper | 17 March, 2014 4 comments

Today, we launched a case at the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of the Arctic 30, who spent two months in Russian jail for a peaceful protest to save the Arctic. The 30 individuals are requesting "just...

2013: The Year In Photos

Feature story | 24 December, 2013 at 14:30

The year 2013 has been very eventful for Greenpeace on all points of the compass. Whether it be turning around a cargo container filled with fin whale meat in Hamburg, getting the palm oil industry to think twice about deforestation in Indonesia,...

26 - 30 of 117 results.

Categories
<div class="pin-footer-to-bottom-pa