5 October 2006

Making Waves

By Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

My memory store it is overflowing. As I think back to the beginning of this tremendously successful Oceans Campaign on the Baltic Sea, I am amazed at how much we accomplished in four short weeks. Below are some highlights:

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The Summit of Ambition - a poem by Ivona

By Ivona, on board the Arctic Sunrise

“Never measure the height of a mountain until you reached the top. Then you will see how low it was." - Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961), Sweden

(Click 'continue reading' to read Ivona's poem)

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3 October 2006

Victory! Russia acts on trawler girls

By Ivona, onboard the Arctic Sunrise

The first thing I heard in the mess room this morning was: “WE WON”. “We Won?”, I repeated to myself still half asleep. “We won”, I said again, this time more awake. After a moment I fully realized what this meant for us.

We received a letter from the Russian authorities late last night. Consequently, the events of the last 24 hours mean that our demands regarding the “trawler sisters” (as I outlined in my last report) are being met by the Russian authorities. They are as follows:

1) the ships and the crew are going to be detained for as long as it is necessary to make a substantiated decision about this crime

2) An active ban on the provisions and services was applied, until a final decision is made

3) An inspection of the ships was also ordred to evaluate the situation.

We are absolutely impressed and happy, and a bit surprised that our lobbying here was so swift and smooth, and fast. It was something reminescant of the reaction to the Probo Koala case last week! I feel we are breaking all kinds of beaucratic red-tape. This is a very meaningful victory in our fight with fishing pirates!

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2 October 2006

Return of the "Trawler Girls"

By Ivona on board the Arctic Sunrise

We had a very exciting day today, with events unfolding very quickly. We tracked down notorius pirates, collectively referred to as the “Trawler Girls”. We spottted them upon entry to Kaliningrad, and we are going to focus our efforts on them.

The "Trawler girls” are five Russian ships, which have been black-listed by the European Union, Iceland, North-East Atlantic Fisheries Comission (NEAFC) and North West Atlantic Fisheries Comission (NAFO).

The ships were black listed because they have been involved in Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and they continue the destruction of deep-sea life and theft of fish, despite their blacklisted status.

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1 October 2006

Helpful Russians

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Entering Russia was how I always imagined it. Morning, yellow hues of sun lit up the landscape, littered with old, some crumbling, houses, and rusty looking brick factories and other industrial structures. In the distance, forests covered the horizon, and empty, grassy fields looked abandoned and almost out-of-place. Moored ships along the harbour also looked rusty and old, but atmospheric.

I did not see conventional beauty of newness and modernism in all of this, but I thought that what I saw was quite beautiful, simply because it is Russia. Legendary Russia, full of secrets and mystery, mafia and wars, communism and blood.

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Picture of the day

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Folkwin skipping his heart out.

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30 September 2006

Pirate fishing and the law

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

"Local and regional solutions are simply not sufficient if the international community is to deal effectively with fishing pirates, stealing marine life from honest fisherman and future generations". -- Caught red handed: Daylight Robbery on the High Seas, p. 3

We have finally determined our next steps, and we are fully back on track with our Oceans Campaign. We will be arriving in Kaliningrad, Russia tomorrow in the hopes of finding pirate fishing vessels.

Who are the Pirates?

Pirates are vessels which have been involved in Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing practices. Some of the Pirates have been blacklisted by the European Union, North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) and North West Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NAFO).

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A note from Marcin

By Marcin, onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Hello. This is again me, Marcin. We’re all still on-board the Arctic Sunrise, dancing with the waves somewhere in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. The weather is going worse, and our beautiful and warm sun is hidden beyond a thick, gray carpet of angry clouds. But our moods are high as always and we’re ready for the next battle to come.

Yesterday was quite calm. It was one of those rare moments of silence right in between two storms. We left the port and harbour of Paldiski at noon (I do wonder why most activities happen exactly at lunch and dinner hours). After that we went into another harbor and anchored there. This new one was really beautiful. A narrow, sandy beach, many huge stones and rocks, and pine forest typical for northern parts of Europe . There were also three wrecks ( one lying on the beach and two half-sunk in a shallow water ) which made the harbour look mysterious. I could feel a sense of adventure while being there.

So we stayed there in anchor till today. Probably you’ll think it was quite boring, just drifting. But believe me, every hero needs a day off. It is good to chill out a little, let the level of adrenaline come back to normal. It is also a good time to talk things over, summarize all the good and bad things that happened, find some solutions for the future. In my personal opinion it is a time when our experiences grow.

So, that’s all folks. I wish you luck, and see you again soon.

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The Paldiski action: as seen from the quayside

By Satu, our Finnish press officer

What a week. I was enjoying a dinner and some wine at my friend’s place when I received a phone call just before 11 p.m. asking if I could be in Paldiski the following morning. Sure, I’ll try. Didn’t quite make it that morning, but I was nevertheless 24 hours ahead of the Arctic Sunrise.

The following afternoon the Sunrise appeared from the fog. We were on a beach on the shore, watching her as she slowly swam into the harbour and dropped anchor in front of the Probo Koala. Just moments before we had received our first media request – a local TV channel asking what a Greenpeace ship is doing sailing towards Paldiski. I have to give credit to Estonian media for being so observant! That first media request was however only the beginning of an avalanche.

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Pic of the day: A star is born

by Adele, from her flat in Stockholm

While we wait for more news from the Arctic Sunrise, the picture of the day just had to be of activist Karin Flack. Karin is one of the activists who climbed the mooring line of the Probo Koala, although luckily for her she wasn't the one who got an icy dip in the water.

In her homeland of Sweden, Karin has been quite a hero in the media. We got a bit of a chuckle at the Greenpeace office as papers arrived with headlines like, "HOW KARIN, 25, STOPPED THE DEATH BOAT". (Not to undermine her contribution, but I immediately had mental images of little Karin singlehandedly swimming through a shipping lane and turning the toxic tanker around). You can check out some video of Karin and the team in action on Ocean Defenders TV (choose the Baltic Sea channel and click on the video called "Action on the toxic tanker").

Meanwhile, important decisions are being made as to our next course of action, which of course is classified information at the moment. We will bring you the news as soon as it comes to hand. (Yes I know, vague ... but kind of exciting right?)

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29 September 2006

The end. Or just the beginning?

By Ivona, on board the Arctic Sunrise

Today I shook the hand of a man. A man, who is now instrumental in the case of Probo Koala, and the maze of companies and countries hiding behind it. Stavros Dimas is his name, and he is the European Union Environmental Commissioner. He, along with the Estonian Minister of the Environment and other Estonian politicians, came on-board the Arctic Sunrise today.

Mr. Dimas will be following the Probo Koala case from now on, to ensure accountability and punishment of responsible parties in the Ivory Coast toxic dumping. He also stated that he will push the European Union Member States to ratify some legislation in the Basel Convention, specifically, legislation which forbids the export of dangerous toxic products from Europe because less-developed countries are not equipped to treat them safely and properly.

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28 September 2006

EU Commissioner visits Paldiski Harbour

By Adele, at the Greenpeace office in Stockholm

The EU Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Stavros Dimas, has visited Paldiski Harbour where the Arctic Sunrise has been blockading the "toxic tanker" Probo Koala. He even came on board - we will update you on that as soon as Ivona's report comes through! (I wonder if they managed to get him to wear one of our "TOXIC PATROL" safety vests). Meanwhile, I thought you might like to hear what Mr Dimas had to say about why he was visiting Estonia and how he thinks the EU should react to the tragedy.

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27 September 2006

End of blockade and what's next

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

The last few days have certainly been on-the-edge exciting, and critical in directing international attention to toxic trade and lack of adherence to international law, one of them being the Basel Convention.

From changing course and campaigns, last Saturday, to a very important victory in the detainment and criminal investigation of the Probo Koala today! As you know, we have also gained our very own pirate, Frode, who is going to be one of the main drivers behind our continuing fight to stop pirate fishing, and overfishing!

The atmosphere is very positive, and we are generating very favourable attention in Estonia. Today, we clapped when we got the news about the official detainment of the "death ship". We are all very glad to hear of this.

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Victory: Toxic death ship detained!

The Estonian Attorney General has decided to detain the Probo Koala, and launch an investigation. We've ended our blockade. The Estonian authorities can take it from here.

Read the Associated Press story.

From our just issued press release:

"Greenpeace is pleased that the Estonian Authorities are now taking action and believes that this will now spark a full international inquiry into all of the companies and regulatory agencies which failed to stop the dumping of deadly toxic waste in the Ivory Coast. Only through such an investigation can the guilty be brought to justice and the lessons learned in order to prevent this from happening again."

On the basis of preliminary results it would appear that contamination found on the Probo Koala by the Estonian Environment Ministry is similar to that which poisoned the Ivory Coast.

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A pirate in our midst?

By Adele, back at Greenpeace Nordic HQ, Stockholm

As we await official confirmation from the Estonian government on the status of the Toxic Death Ship, we have discovered that one of our campaigners now bears an uncanny resemblance to the logo we have been putting on suspicious supermarket products and suspect ships, and I couldn't help but share this.

Our oceans campaigner Frode, hereby referred to pirate-style as The Deadeyed Norseman, accidentally spilt paint in his eye while emblazoning the Toxic Death Ship, Probo Koala, with "EU TOXIC CRIME SCENE". This has required a novel and yet strangely appropriate form of medical attention - an eyepatch. But that's not the only attention he got. Frode says, "Arrrr, today I be cruisin' alongside the landlubbin' authorities when blow me down but they be askin' me...."

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26 September 2006

My visit with the Estonian police

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

I am back on the Arctic Sunrise, after being detained by the Estonian border patrol for nearly 7 hours today. Texas and I were detained, with our inflatable [boat], as we drifted near our ship. We were towed to shore, and greeted by one of the Border Patrol officers.

"Welcome to Estonia", he said. Texas and I looked at each other, and laughed, but not because it was funny, but because it was ironic. We were taken to a car, and did not know what to expect next. As the car started, the tunes of Bob Marley "Don't worry, be happy", filled the tense, quiet atmosphere. This time we really had to laugh.

We were taken to the border patrol office. After about 5.5 hours elapsed, our lawyer arrived. We were asked questions, paperwork was filled out, and we were nearly out the door, when Tannie and Karin walked in with the police, carrying their climbing gear.

While Texas and I were hanging out, in true Estonian style, with the border police, Tannie and Karin climbed the mooring lines connecting the Probo Koala to shore, when they were apprehended. Our brave Tannie got submerged in the cold Baltic water when the Probo Koala crew lowered the line holding her up. Tannie did not give up there. She pulled one of her campaign banners "Toxic trade costs lives" and held it out with perseverance, while water was slipping into her suit.

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Marking it for what it is

by Marcin onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Hi, this is Marcin again from the Arctic Sunrise - still blocking the Probo Koala death ship at the port of Paldiski in Estonia. Ivona asked me to write about my adventures and feelings about today.

As for the adventures it was pretty satisfying to paint a huge message on this ship. We marked it clearly (yellow letters on the blue board, about 3.5 meters high so each and every jellyfish in the ocean can see that this ship is a bad one). In English, "E.U. Toxic Crime Scene", and French (an official language of the Ivory Coast), "L'Europe intoxiques L'Afrique".

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Two more arrested

Two more Greenpeace activists have been arrested. Tannie and Karin were trying to climb up the toxic death ship's mooring lines to keep it from leaving.

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Cote d'Ivoire judge to Estonia: stop that ship

The government of Cote d'Ivoire has faxed an official request to the government of Estonia asking them to seize the Probo Koala. Here is the text:

To the Minister of Environment Of Estonia:

M. Minister,

In the name of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, please take all measures to immobilize the ship PROBO KOALA which constitute an important piece of the investigation going on in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).

All documents related will be sent asap.

Judge Fatoumata DIAKITE
President of the National Investigation Commission
for Toxical wastes
Côte d'Ivoire

Meanwhile, the Estonian authorities have boarded our ship. Not clear what is happening there. Greenpeace climbers are trying to get on the mooring lines of the Koala to keep it from casting off.

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Toxic death ship blockade continues

by Andrew (from the Greenpeace office in Amsterdam)

Our blockade of the Probo Koala (aka The Toxic Death ship) has been going on for over 15 hours now. Ivona, our on board web editor, has been detained by the police, which is why I am writing this update for her.

I just spoke to Derek, captain of the Arctic Sunrise. They are still anchored in a position blocking the port entrance, but will move out of the way for other ships.

Ivona and Texas were in one of our boats - keeping an eye on the Koala. Reports are sketchy, and it is not clear if the police have arrested them or are just holding them temporarily.

The authorities have ordered the Sunrise to take on a harbor pilot and move to dock. We politely declined. We can't let the Koala continue with "business as usual" when their last job was so deadly.

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The toxic death ship

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

[ Editors note: Ivona wrote most of this update about the start of our blockade, but had to get back out in one of our boats to help with the protest. So a few of us (on shore and land) have made changes.

Latest news is that we continue to blockade the death ship, but not other shipping. More details as we get them.

-- Andrew (Greenpeace web editor based in Amsterdam) ]

To our surprise we arrive in Estonia

Yes, you did not misread, Estonia. You may wonder what cod interests we have here, in this part of the Baltic. Well, frankly none; none at the moment anyway.

On Saturday evening, after a long week, our Swedish campaigner had volunteered to cook dinner for the crew, which we all enjoyed thoroughly. Just before bed, at around 22:00 hours, while having one of those late-evening-cups-of-tea, the ship engines started, and our Arctic Sunrise was on it’s way again.

“Hmmm”, I muttered, “That’s strange? Where are we going?” Wondering what to think, my question was half way answered, by a voice on the ship intercom. “Everyone, there will be a crew briefing in 5 minutes in the mess room”, said Ida from whereever she was on the ship. “Ok”, I thought, “this was something interesting, and urgent”.

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Toxic death ship background

by Andrew (in the Greenpeace office, Amsterdam)

The Arctic Sunrise has made a surprise detour to confront and try to stop a ship that delivered toxic waste to the Ivory Coast. I've put together some news clippings for those of you new to this story.

From the Greenpeace International website:

Our activists have blocked the toxic ship Probo Koala in the harbour of Paldiski, Estonia and branded it an 'EU Toxic Crime Scene.' The Probo Koala dumped toxic waste in Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast, killing seven people and causing mass panic, with 44,000 people seeking medical assistance.

But this isn't just about an African country. In early August, the Probo Koala wanted to discharge these chemical slops in the Netherlands. From the Independent Online:

However, last week Dutch daily De Volkskrant reported that the ship had tried to unload its slops in Amsterdam, but that the operation had been halted because the slops smelt of rotten eggs, a sign of possible sulphur contamination.

"We can process this, but it costs more," the director of Amsterdam Port Services (APS), T Smit, told De Volkskrant. The fatal gas in Abidjan is thought to have been hydrogen sulphide, which also smells of rotten eggs.

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25 September 2006

Picture of the day

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Ivona working on a banner.

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Ship in a bottle

by Ivona onboard the Arctic Sunrise

Have you ever seen a ship in a bottle, one of those antiques collecting dust in your grandfather's collection? Have you ever thought about what it represents?

Let's think about it. Bottle, represents an environment, ship represents a community. Ship in a bottle, represents a community which is enclosed, isolated, difficult to see, and which is often misunderstood. In fewer words: a ship in a bottle represents a sociological experiment in an enclosed and controlled environment. Sounds scary, doesn't it?

Life on a ship is like venturing into the micro-world of humanity. In my eyes, it is an experience which has the capacity to change the way a person views his/her life, even if just subconsciously; even if just from a distance. Life on a ship is a micro-representation of our "real" lives. Here, we are more likely to find the essence of our beings as we are able to intimately observe the impact of our actions, and personalities, on those around us.

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22 September 2006

Harvest Time

by Ivona and Marcin onboard the Arctic Sunrise

“Whoever sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all”

Galatians 6.8-10

The sea was a bit rough yesterday. I barely emerged from my bed, as I watched my cabin window drowned by Baltic’s frustrated waves . Yes, it was one of those seasick days. I spent the entire day in hiding, as I could not fathom walking, writing, talking, or eating… only sleeping seemed to have done the trick. There were only a few other people affected by the change in weather; the majority carried on as though nothing changed. I really hope I will get my sea-legs soon, and I keep my fingers crossed I am not one of those (2% of the population) who never get over their seasickness. Oh, the laments of a sailor.

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