Arctic Sunrise

Originally designed as an icebreaker, the Arctic Sunrise has ventured into the world’s coldest realms, witnessing the awe-inspiring wonders of Earth’s polar regions.

Arctic Sunrise Arrives in Cape Town, South Africa. © Tommy Trenchard / Greenpeace
Looking directly downwards from a helicopter shows how the Arctic Sunrise is moored to an ice floe by stakes hammered into the ice. Tiny figures can be seen working on the floe, drilling holes into the ice. Scientists have been using the icebreaker which belongs to Greenpeace, as a floating laboratory.

Since joining the Greenpeace fleet in 1995, it embarked on its inaugural voyage to the North Sea, documenting the devastating effects of marine pollution from offshore oil installations—a mission that set the tone for decades of environmental activism.

Throughout its storied history, the Arctic Sunrise has traversed the globe, from the dense jungles of the Congo to the sprawling rainforests of the Amazon. Most recently, it embarked on a groundbreaking three-month expedition to the Antarctic, conducting vital scientific research on biodiversity in this pristine region.

Edge of the World Documentary

This documentary showcases the incredible wildlife of Antarctica and the threats they face. Told through the eDNA and hydrophone science work done onboard the Arctic Sunrise and by the experiences of scientist Kirsten Thompson and logistician Sini Saarela. Filmed on an expedition that was part of the last stage of the Greenpeace ‘Protect The Oceans’ Expedition. Where Greenpeace teamed up with a group of scientists to investigate and document the impacts the climate crisis is already having in Antarctica.

Explore more Greenpeace ships

Drone aerial of the Rainbow Warrior under sail in the Indian Ocean during the 'Beyond Seafood' campaign on January 17, 2023.

Rainbow Warrior

Rainbow Warrior, the ship name is synonymous with breaking boundaries and fearless campaigning.

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The civil society organisation, Whale Conservation Institute (ICB) and Greenpeace, aboard the SY Witness, a Greenpeace sailboat, tour around the area of the Argentine Sea where the oil industry plans to carry out seismic explorations, off the coast of Buenos Aires, Río Negro and Chubut. The Greenpeace ship toured for a week in the North Argentina basin, where the area is awarded to the oil industry. The Argentine Sea serves as the feeding ground and a migratory path of the Southern Right Whale and plays a natural importance especially for emblematic species of Argentine biodiversity.

Witness

The newest and greenest vessel in the Greenpeace fleet, the Witness is also the smallest ship.

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The Greek oil company HELPE has been conducting seismic testing over the past weeks in the Ionian Sea in Greece. After conducting seismic testing without any public announcement for 3 weeks in Kyparissiakos Bay, a very sensitive ecosystem and a protected area, the company has moved on to do testing on another block in the Ionian Sea further north west of Corfu, again not informing anyone about their plans. They have assured us that they are taking all the necessary protection measures, but why do they act with such secrecy and lack of transparency? We are here to bear witness: we peacefully protest against the seismic testing in an area which is extremely important for marine species such as Caretta turtles, sperm whales and many more. We peacefully protest against the lack of transparency and we will record any possible negative effects of the testing to the ecosystem. This part of the Ionian Sea is one of the most important habitats for marine mammals in the Mediterranean and we cannot allow such an important area for biodiversity to become endangered by obsolete fossil fuel seismic & extractive activities like the ones HELPE has in the pipeline. It’s not the first time we protest against HELPE’s destructive activities and greenwashing practices. They have not listened. Instead, they have used greenwashing in order to build an “environmentally friendly” profile and enjoy social license for their actions. The banner on the Rainbow Warrior's railing reads "HELPE, stop this crime" and the hand banners in Greek read "Fossil gas = climate chaos" and "Our seas demand protection".

All ships

Discover all of the Greenpeace ships – protecting our planet and fighting for environmental justice.

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