The situation is getting more urgent every day. We're still at anchor 15 miles out of Bombay harbour. Now we're running out of fresh water, we're not allowed to take a shower anymore. We also ran out of fresh vegetables. We need to get in Bombay harbour as soon as possible! But today it's Sunday, so we're stuck out here.
Last night a passing ship collided with us while we were at anchor. I had only been asleep for an hour, so I didn't wake up. But most of the crew ran out of bed to see what happened. They were just in time to see a huge barge sailing away.
The watch keeper just did his round, and when he walked on the middle deck he saw four giant lights directly heading our way. Apparently the captain dozed away and woke just in time to turn the wheel 90 degrees. His rear end hit our bow. It could have been worse! In the morning we checked the damage and luckily it's not that bad. But we need to work on it.
We still are at anchor for Bombay harbor. And we're still not allowed in. We had a crew meeting to talk about campaign strategies. We're almost at the end of the 'toxics patrol' tour. It seems a little confusing that we're not allowed in. This is because Greenpeace is campaigning to make the shipbreaking industry a cleaner and more profitable industry. We're here to help and support India.
At this moment the IMO is having her annual meeting. Here India asked for a global mandatory regime to make sure that the ship owners will be responsible to make their ships toxic- free. This is exactly what Greenpeace is campaigning for. So hopefully the Bombay authorities will understand soon that we're not the enemy.
In a afternoon we saw a dead turtle drifting by. It was one of the saddest things I've seen in a while. We all were very affected seeing her drifting on her back. Hope to never see this again...
Last night we got caught by one of the nets fishermen use. At night we're surrounded by small boats, you see lights everywhere. To catch fish they use a sort of a drift net, so you see lots of floating oil lamps. One of them apparently drifted away and got stuck in our anchor line.
We launched a boat to cut it loose, without damaging the net to much. Every net has a sort of a mark, so everybody knows whose net it is. We asked several fishermen if it was their net. We couldn't find the owners, but we succeeded in cutting it loose, so it drifted slowly away.
We're still not allowed in the Bombay harbour. So we kept on working. I had to stay awake till late, because I had a radio interview with a Dutch radio station. Around two o'clock at night I got the call. They wanted to know what it's like to work on the Rainbow Warrior, what we achieved with our campaign and what our next plans were. It was a nice interview. After this I sat for a while on deck and watched the stars and looked for fish in the water. Maybe tonight was our last night at sea. I will miss the quietness, the darkness, the stars and the waves. It all seems so peaceful out here.
Last night we've been sailing all night. Around eight we arrived at the 25 mile zone from Bombay. We had to wait here until our paperwork was sorted out. It's a little confusing, this paper-work story. In the maritime world there are certain rules concerning clearing in and out off ports.
Our last port was Bombay. Then we sailed to Alang. The port authorities didn't want to clear us in, but they took our paperwork. Now they told us that we need to get our paperwork back but we can not enter without being cleared in, which they will not do. We need these papers to enter Bombay harbour. So as we were not allowed back to Alang we had to leave without them and our landteam is making sure they get the paperwork done. But now they keep us at a distance. It feels like they're playing with us. So, we have to wait at the 25 mile zone before entering Bombay. We'll have to wait and see what will happen. Another night at anchor. That's for sure!
This morning I set my alarm clock at six to see the sunrise. I got up and it was beautiful. Already lots of people were up, doing yoga, tai chi or just enjoying the sunrise. Around eight we lifted the anchor, set the sails and started our voyage back to Bombay. There wasn't much wind, but it felt great to move again. We've been at anchor for about two weeks.
The only people we've seen, besides the customs and the coast guard, were fishermen. They come along side and try to sell us some fish they caught. Or they're just curious to see this colourful ship with a rainbow painted on the bow, floating in the middle of nowhere. Most of them were also very surprised to see a lot of women on board.
While we were sailing everybody kept on working. Doing deck work, working on engines, cleaning the outside of the ship, etc. That night we had a beautiful bright night, full of stars. We located lots of star signs and looked for shooting stars. It was our last night at sea. The Rainbow Warrior kept on sailing to Bombay while everybody went to their bunks. Except the watch keeper.
It has been 14 days since we've come to Alang to patrol the toxic ships. Unfortunately we have not received much co-operation by the various authorities here in Gujarat, despite repeated requests. Our land team however has been doing very well. They have persuaded the relevant national ministries to stop beaching of toxic ships that we have spotted while we are anchored out of Indian waters and to order inspections of them for toxic materials.
Anyway the highpoint of this leg of the tour was celebrating my birthday onboard. Amanda had baked the best cake that I've had in a long time and was given the most memorable gifts I've ever received for a birthday.
Today we are sailing back to Bombay. The crew is also doing general ship maintenance, chipping off the rust and giving them a fresh coat of paint. Rust is a persistent problem at sea and if not attended to immediately, can pose quite a large problem later on.
When we get back to Bombay a few of the crew sign off to be replaced by a fresh crew. All those leaving are tidying up their respective areas ready for a smooth handover. We have also scheduled two open days - days when our supporters and educational institutions are invited to come and visit the ship. They get to learn more about Greenpeace, the Rainbow Warrior and other ships and their roles in the different campaigns. They also get to meet people from different parts of the world. This will be a very hectic time for the crew so we are trying to do as much maintenance as we can now and to make the 'Warrior' look its best to the people visiting her - tidying up the decks and working areas, polishing up the brass, making sure everything is in the their right places, sorting out publicity material that we want to show the people etc.
It is a couple of busy days ahead, getting ready for the trip down to Bombay, but there's always time for some fun as well - or star gazing. Am rushing up to deck to watch the stars. Who says there's no life out there? Will see you guys in a while, watch this space.
Today is has been exactly two weeks since we started sailing from Bombay to Alang. It's a good time to review all the achievements we've reached until now. Let's see what happened on political level and what happened in the media....
During a toxic patrol Greenpeace found pieces of what used to be the Dutch ship 'Project Orient'. Pieces of metal and waste of the ship were lying around the scrap yard. According to the port authorities there was no inventory of hazardous materials on board. Before scraping the ship hadn't been cleaned, so all toxic chemicals were still on board arriving in Alang.
We're still anchored in international waters, somewhere off the coast of India. Doing a "floating in" action, we became used to our "sea camp". We even have some birds living onboard with us. Always watching for any "dead ships sailing" to the shipyard in Alang. Everyone is standby. Ready to take action on target toxic ships.
This morning we went sailing. The Rainbow Warrior has new sails and our captain wanted to try them out. The weather was perfect for it. The wind was blowing, enormous waves around us and a good spirit on board. We launched an inflatable to take some pictures of the ship sailing along. It was a beautiful sight! Four sails with a white peace dove on the first one. It was hard to take some good pictures without getting the camera wet. At a certain point I literally sat up to my waist in water. It was my morning shower. I needed one because I didn't sleep well the night before. The air conditioning was off, so it was very hot in the cabins. A lot of people kept getting up and wandering around during the night because they could not sleep. But after this "morning shower", riding in the Avon (inflatable) and seeing this beautiful ship sailing, I was quite happy.
Rachel Carsons book 'Silent Spring' described how pesticides affected the American countrysides - birds no longer heralded spring with their chirps. Urban centers in India have lost sparrows - I don't remember when i saw the last sparrow - maybe like the Dodo; the once common sparrow has disappeared - an invisible symbol of peoples and corporations one track mind, avarice and greed.
But on the rainbow warrior we have birds. We are in international waters (20 miles from the Indian coast) but we have two pairs of small brown birds - they look like sparrows but their beaks are slightly longer, so I am not too sure of their species. They are pretty friendly - they hop all around us as we work. We also have a butterfly and a few crickets. However, the butterfly and cricket's days are numbered as we now have a new guest - a black fly catcher.
Birds like pollutants have no boundaries. They move from place to place. Humans have always welcomed the presence of birds (well except when you are sleeping or if you are a farmer) but the presence of pollutants is unwelcome if not worrying.
Ships with or without cargo are dangerous - a ship could be termed as a pollutant. A ship has a cocktail of chemicals in it be it - the paint (TBT), the insulation (blue asbestos), the oil. Breaking these 'dirty' ship with bare hands as it is done in third world countries like Bangladesh, Turkey, Pakistan, China and India (Alang) not only affect people working in the scrap yard but also the environment.
As humans we are responsible not only for ourselves but for those species that are always affected by our economic processes. The members of the shipping industry have an obligation to clean up their ships before they sell it for scrap. Those who govern us also have an obligation to ensure that international regulations are followed. These regulations are not economic weapons but are miniscule efforts to conserve what little we have left in our environment.
The fall of the sparrow is but one example of the amount of 'power' we have in our hands. We must use this to protect ourselves from ourselves (which in turn would help other species too). Clean ship breaking - a process that would involve ship owners, governments and ship breakers coming together - is but one more attempt to try to undo the damage that we have done.
Although we're still looking for 'end of life' ships coming in to Alang, a lot of work still needs to be done to maintain the Rainbow Warrior. Today I joined the crew and did some deck work. I started working on the boom together with Lesley and Lama. All the rusty paint needed to be scrapped off in preparation for a new coat of paint. Others were sanding wood, painting, deck washing.
Besides the necessary deck work, the preparation for our toxic patrols also continued. Grant and Adarsh worked on floating banners, in case a ship with destination Alang shows up. We'll see what we can do here, at high seas. The fact of us just being here has a huge impact on the political level. It would be great to have the opportunity to show these people how a toxic patrol should be done on these toxic ships. Meanwhile we keep on working to make the Rainbow Warrior shine!
Although we have done our best to say why we're here, there still seems to be a lot of misunderstanding. That's why I want to use this opportunity to explain our campaign once more. Our shipbreaking campaign is to ensure clean-ship recycling, better working conditions for the workers on the shipbreaking yards and protection of the (Indian) beaches and ocean from western toxic waste. Greenpeace is not opposed to shipbreaking in Alang or anywhere else in the world. As a matter of fact we want Alang and India to take the lead in clean-ship recycling and receive more business in the immediate future.
The Greenpeace campaign is primarily focused on the responsibilities of all those involved in an End-of-Life-Ship before it is sold to a shipbreaker and beached i.e. the shipowners. Greenpeace strongly believes that it is the responsibility of the ship owner and the exporting country to deliver a TOXIC FREE ship to the shipbreakers and not a ship which creates all kinds of problems. It is the responsibility of all the concerned authorities in India to ensure this. The shipbreaking industry wants steel - not all the toxic waste that ships contain!
Greenpeace is now in India because we would like to see that the shipbreakers succeed in turning this business into a profitable AND safe one. We are also aware about the economic importance of the shipbreaking industry, its employment potential and its contribution to the overall development of the region. We want to value-add to this industry by making sure that Alang is a model for clean ship-recycling business.
There are three things that need to be done to ensure safe and profitable shipbreaking: Put the liability on the shipowners through a mandatory international law. Ensure through the same international law that no shipbreaking nation can take unfair advantage by lowering environmental and safety standards. Improve conditions the yards in Alang through the implementation of the Supreme Court directives in letter and in spirit.
While the Rainbow Warrior is still anchored at high seas, a lot of things are happening on land. Today we heard that the Minister of Environment demanded to conduct a inspection of the Genova Bridge to see what toxic materials are on board. At the 12th of November we identified this ship on the beach with our toxic patrol. Although the ship is already beached, it now cannot be scrapped before this inspection has been taken place. This is a great success for us! One of the headlines in a newspaper was: "Victory for Greenpeace: UK ship to be inspected". It's great to see that our work is appreciated and is starting to bring results.
We have also heard that the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (the government environmental agency) will open an office at the shipbreaking yard in Alang. Until now they only had an office that was five hours from Alang. This agency has never been involved in inspecting the beached ships, but from now on they'll be involved.
The Minister of Environment also stated that the shipbreaking guidelines proposed by the Supreme Court of India now will be implemented as obligatory. Until now these guidelines have been voluntary. So hopefully this decision will result in toxic-free ships arriving in Alang!
We've been here, off the Gujarat coast, for a week now. We anchored, last night, about 12 miles from Bhăvnagar, at the request of the coast guards. The sea is beautiful, clear. There is finally a splash of blue that one expects to see when stationed in an ocean, vibrant. Quaint fishing boats go past us, waving their catch in an attempt to transact some business! As we were waiting for clearance from the customs authorities, the crew decided to practice with the inflatables for the toxic patrols, which they did, quite innovative. Lama, Joe, Samir and Nora enthusiastically climbed ladders propped up against the Warrior, from boats that refused to stay still!
The agent (the second one!), at Bhăvnagar, indicated his unwillingness to act on our behalf. Ramapati, the Indian campaigner, says that the ship breaking industry has a stranglehold on the local economy and we must function independently. The local media continues to vilify Greenpeace. The Ministry of Environment have not yet given a letter (that GP, India has sought) endorsing or authorising our toxic patrolling. The mood amongst us is still upbeat and we seem to have provoked tremendous reaction by just being here....
Yesterday the coast guard had told us we had time till nine before we had to leave. Wrong. Around six in the morning they gave us a call that we had to leave at 7.15. So we did. But we weren't in a hurry, so we put the sails on and started to move slowly.
Soon we got a call from these guys again. They wanted to visit us. So slowly a coast guard patrol boat came aside. They launched an inflatable and with six people armed with helmets and guns they tried to reach us. The waves were pretty high and their motor wasn't that strong, so it took them a while before they reached us.
One of their officers came up to the bridge and talked to us, mainly to the captain. He told us he had been asked by his superiors to collect the footage we took the day we looked for the UK vessel Genova Bridge. We asked why he needed this material. He informed us that in India it is not allowed to take photographs of areas like ports without permission of the relevant authorities and that his superiors had asked him to collect this from us. He assured us that we would be able to get these back from the head office in Bombay and gave us a receipt. He also told us that our jobs are similar and that it is in the coast guard charter to protect the marine environment.
When they left we gave them a deck of playing cards with the top 50 ships likely for beaching and information about Greenpeace and our campaigns in India. At first they were not sure about accepting these cards. But then Moritz told them it could help them actually with their work, because all the suspect ships for breaking are in this deck. So maybe the coast guards are playing with these cards right now! Hopefully it will give them an insight in the huge problem in the shipbreaking industry. Not shipbreaking itself, but old ships still containing hazardous materials before going for scrap.
At nine this evening we anchored surrounded by fishing boats. You can see lights all around us. And above all, the sky is full with bright starts. You can easily see star signs such as Orion and Gemini. Now it's time for some peace and quiet. I'll go sit on the stern and have a look at the stars!
Today Ramapati told us during the crew meeting that a few papers in Alang have been reporting bad things about us. The story goes that Greenpeace wants the shipbreaking business to move out of Alang and to Europe. This is not true. Ramapati told us that it's not strange these papers write like this. The shipbreaking industry owns shares of these newspapers. So it's better if we just see them as newsletters of the shipbreaking industry instead of independent news sources.
If they paid attention they would have known why we're here and that we are not against shipbreaking as an industry. In fact we think recyling ships is a good thing. We are demanding that owners of the ships should make sure that their ships coming here are decontaminated from toxic materials before they arrive in India.
We're here to perform "toxic patrols", to see if ships sent for scrap still contain toxic materials. This makes you wonder why the shipbreakers are reacting to us like this. Why are they afraid of us if they've nothing to hide? All these hassle proves that we should be here. Even with a Supreme Court Order, smokey business is happening here, at the world's biggest shipbreaking yard.
Yesterday was my birthday. I first didn't really felt the difference but I got so much energy from everyone. I just ended up with a big happy feeling and an unforgettable birthday night. :)
The day started with usual business. At noon we got some excitement with the visit of the local authorities. They told us that they could arrest the captain and the chief engineer! But they didn't, it ended up pretty well and we managed to stay at anchor off Alang in the middle of the sea, demanding the right to inspect "bad toxic ships". Just by showing up here and bearing witness as "toxic patrol team" has caused a lot of people to start freaking out. We might finally succeed in convincing the government to stop breaking toxic ships and impose on the ship owners to clean the ship before sending them for scrap.
The rest of the day went very smoothly, everyone was tired and retrieved for some rest or time off. Some climbing training, and some painting. At night, we had dinner on deck followed by a big party celebrating 2 birthdays. There was a very nice energy around. I was looking outside just to remind myself that I'm actually floating off the coast of India, on a 55 m ship, sharing my life and enjoying my time with a diverse group of wonderful people. Who chose a similar path as I did and decided to look around and not accept what's happening.
It's always nice to realize and remember what we're doing and why we're here. Sometimes we get busy in our everyday routine and just forget the essence of our existence at this specific moment in this specific time with these specific people no matter what the circumstances are.
At the same time that we are here on the Rainbow Warrior in India, there seems to be some movement on our issue in Europe. The UK is refusing the old and rusty US Navy Vessels and is investigating how it can send them back to the US.
France also yesterday had to call back it's big "End of Life" Aircraft carrier. The Clemenceau (see picture), with all its hazardous material still on board, was trying to escape to Turkey and then to Asia without being decontaminated first. Today the Clemenceau, once the glory of France, is on it's way back to a French harbor with it's tail between it's legs. Turkey and Greece have officially refused entry to the rusty ship. The French Government is now looking at a full decontamination in France before selling it for scrap again. Great!
This is the second time that the Rainbow Warrior is visiting Alang. Since the 'Toxic Free Asia Ship Tour' in 1999 there have not been many changes in Alang. Alang is still a scene out of 'Dante's Hell': in the evening one sees huge smoky fires, the sea swims in a dark fog almost through the day while debris move in and out according to the tide. While at frequent intervals one hears the clang of huge pieces of steel falling to earth.
At Alang, it is a misnomer to say 'ships come here to die': ships kill here. Explosions, falling debris and exposure to toxic materials exact a toll on those working in these ship-breaking yards. Personal protection amongst the illiterate workers is miniscule if non-existent.
Alang provides 10% of India's steel and makes a valuable contribution to the local economy but this is just part of the story. It is also a prime example of double standards between developed and developing countries. Old ships owned by European and American companies are sent here to be scrapped. These old ships contain hazardous material like blue asbestos, Tri Butyl Tin (TBT), oil which would need special handling in any other developed country. However, as life and the environment are 'cheap' in the developing and under-developed world these ships have an easy market here.
There is a recent example Genova Bridge, a British vessel, which has been beached to be broken here. This contravenes the Basel Convention is inherently toxic because of the materials it has been built with. But the British authorities allowed the sale of this ship to an Indian breaker, while refusing MARAD ships from the US on the grounds that they contain hazardous material. Recycling is a good solution on how to deal with end of life ships but should be done in a clean and safe way no matter where in the world it is happening.
We are here to give notice that no individual or nation should be made a victim of double standards. Developed nations should not make a mockery of international conventions just because they do not want to spend more to clean up. Life is not cheap: not in developing nations nor in the developed world.
This morning we moved the Rainbow Warrior a few miles east, because we were within the port authority zone of Alang meaning we could be violating the port-rules. So now we're at high seas, in "no-mans-land". Just after we moved the ship we got a call from these port authorities. They wanted to pay us a courtesy visit, because we answered their request. This time it didn't take them so long to show up. Again there were a few people carrying guns, but at our request they didn't bring them on board.
They wanted to talk with our captain (Cosmo). To discuss what we needed to perform our research. In short: we need permission from the home ministry, the ministry of shipping and the ministry of environment all seated in New Delhi. If we have permission from these ministries, the port authority guaranteed us that we could do our "toxic patrols".
We had asked a local agent in Bãvnagar to help us with customs, immigration and the port authorities. But the port authority told us that it seems that this agent doesn't want to represent us anymore. This makes it harder for us to do what we're here for: to perform "toxic patrols" in a legal way.
To be continued...
The Greenpeace team on board the Rainbow Warrior are now dealing with the paper work for customs and immigration. We are also trying to get permission to conduct our "toxic patrols" in Alang.
Meanwhile, the Greenpeace land team is dealing with the political side of the story. The Minister of Environment and Forests has said that he is going to take action regarding ship owners who violate the Supreme Court Order. This is as a result of the research Greenpeace is doing. The minister also promised to take strong action against shipbreakers and local authorities in case of violations of the Supreme Court Order, directives and other national laws.
Also today the Minister of Steel told Greenpeace that he fully supports our campaign on cleaning up the shipbreaking industry and promised to support our work. These assurances from the above ministers will definitely boost the moral of the Greenpeace activists on board. But we have to see how and when these political intentions will be transformed into reality.
I think we are lost in the worst place on earth. When I look outside the boat I only can see dirty water, full of rubbish and floating things. Black smoke above the Alang port and cut and rusty ships as far as the horizon. Today the Belgium campaigner Martin told me about a German company from Hamburg. This company bought two Navy Vessels from the UK, which are full of asbestos and sold them for scrap in India. So, soon all this toxic garbage will be swimming around and the company will earn 2.000.000 euro with this! This place makes me really afraid. Today I saw a butterfly and I was really wondering how she could survive on this terrible place!
In the morning we had discussed how we could give a message for the workers about the toxicity on board the ships who will be scrapped. This is not easy, how to do this. It must be in Hindi, maybe a lot of people can't read. But we had enough ideas how to do this. Maybe we are like the butterflies on this terrible place. In the afternoon we got introductions from Jan, the Dutch toxic-specialist. He told us about the toxic materials in the ships, were we can find them and how to take the samples. This knowledge we will need when we go on the toxic patrols in the next days.
After 5 o'clock, It's time for a beer. Our Indian friend Dilip taught us a lot about the Indian culture, for example how to eat! On the picture you can see me in my first lesson with Dilip. I liked it a lot and am sure: I will carry on the exercise!
Today I started the day cleaning the alleyway. Every morning the crew starts with cleaning the ship. After that I started writing and editing different stories. The crew have also started writing for the weblog, so you will soon be reading different peoples stories. It's interesting to get different perspectives of the whole picture. Everybody is working hard while we're anchored right off the biggest shipbreaking yard in the world. I can see the old ships laying on the beach waiting to be scraped. It's a very unusual sight and I hardly can believe that it's right under my nose. That's where all pollution happens.
In the afternoon Jan, our toxic expert, told us what to do on the "toxic patrols". He showed us the construction of the ships, where the real dangers are and what to touch and what not to touch. The biggest dangers are the empty oil tanks. It seems odd, but when they're empty and not cleaned very well, a lot of oxygen will be there. And it needs just a little spark for an explosion to happen. Tomorrow we'll talk about how to take samples of different toxic materials.
At the crew meeting we were told to be extra careful with the usage of water. Otherwise we'll be in shortage. So the washing machine cannot be used...
Monday the 10th of November started with a visit to Mumbai shipbreaking yard. It took almost two hours to get a permission to visit the yard. We had to run and see various officers before we got the permission to visit the yard. The first impression you get after entering the yard is like entering a world of toxic materials. Ship's parts are dumped everywhere and there's virtually no space to walk in the yard. If you want to walk from one plot to another you literally have to walk on toxic materials. The Mumbai (Bombay) shipbreaking yard has 19 small plots. The plots are totally congested and don't have enough space to dismantle the ships.
The workers aren't protected against the exposure of toxic materials. Also we were forced to inhale smokes and toxic fumes. Any one can see that workers are working in the yard without having any "Personal Protective Equipment". We saw workers without goggles while cutting the metal with a gas cutter. Asbestos lies everywhere on the ground. Even Jan, our expert from the Netherlands, was surprised to see the toxic materials like asbestos and others lying around in the plots. Earlier Mr. Swami (Asst. Manger) took us to the yard . He was kind enough to give us the permission to take photos in the yard. But suddenly he realized he made a mistake. Because at one place workers were cutting a ship right on the water and all water had turned black. He told us not to take any photos of this.
Just before the Rainbow Warrior left Bombay harbour, Ramapati, Jan and myself could find some time to do a quick and informal visit at the little but very dirty shipbreaking yard in Bombay. As it was full moon, three very old ships had been beached during our stay in the city (with full moon the sea is higher, this makes beaching ships easier). Right under our nose! We wanted to see these toxic beasts. When we came back on the Rainbow Warrior a few hours later, we were shocked about the situation. The shipbreaking yard was very dirty and full of toxic fumes. Unbelievable that people have to work in these circumstances. We swore to take action. We have to change this. We have to come back. So wait and see...
How can we inform the workers how they should safely handle the toxic materials on the ships that they break? We would like to put warning messages on all the ships that come to beach in Alang so that the workers are aware of what the dangers are. As most of the workers do not speak English, this would have to be in Hindi. Even then many of them can not read.
The breaking of ships poses a real danger for humans and their environment. The workers are not provided with any protective clothing or safety equipment nor are they provided with any training on how to deal with toxic materials. There are regular accidents in the yards which often cause the deaths of many people. In the past three months there have been 4 explosions in which 25 people died.
Late last night we heard from Marietta, campaigner in the Netherlands, that a UK ship just arrived in Alang for scrap. When it left the UK the owner said that it was not leaving for Alang. We discussed what to do and decided to have a look with our inflatables.
Around two o'clock we arrived at Alang and got ready to search for the UK ship. As soon as we launched the inflatables we got a call from customs. They wanted to know who we are, what we were doing, how many people are on board and what nationalities. We got some good footage of the "Genova Bridge" already lying on the beach, ready for scrap. This footage was sent to Amsterdam and hopefully will be in the news tonight. Hurray for all digital equipment!
After sailing through comparatively clear waters 25 nautical miles from shore all night navigating scattered fishing vessels, I woke up in sandy waters, like in a river. This was enough indication that Alang was close. It is Wednesday, 12th Nov and we were scheduled to be at our destination by around 1500 hrs but made it 30 minutes earlier. Our first job was to find the Genova Bridge, a British vessel that was to be broken here.
Why a British vessel? Because they were opposing the beaching of MARAD (Marine Administration) ships from the USA because they did not conform to British environmental standards, but were themselves sending ships laden with toxic waste to be broken in India. We were blowing their cover and trying to prove the double standards that developed countries practise in all aspects when it comes to cleaning up their own waste.
Sure enough we found here beached on a plot and ready to be cut. Wonder how the European world, especially the British government will react when they read about this in the morning papers, and also the IMO (International Maritime Organisation). And Oh! By the way, the IMO wants to expel Greenpeace from the observer status that we were given, by them, when we over the years brought to their notice the wrongs happening in the industry and proposed cleaner ship production and breaking methods to be practised.
In the evening we receive an unexpected call on the VHF from the local port officials who were on their way to see us. Over the past couple of days we have been in touch with the customs and port authorities about our whereabouts, as we were advised. So this call was at 1930 hrs was quite surprising.
After a briefing on what anchor watches entail it was my shift from 8 pm to midnight. I was aware of the VHF call and kept an eye out on the radar for a vessel approaching. In addition had to also see that we did not drift from our anchor position, this place has a reputation for the currents and great tide changes. After all, further upriver from Alang is the mouth of the surging Narmada river.
Compared to watches at port where we were provided security, anchor watches require more alertness. After all, its not like driving a car or a bike. It's a ship for God's sake, and people's lives are in your hands. At around 2330 hrs the VHF again comes alive with the official voice. Tom our Radio Officer who's been sailing the Greenpeace fleet for a long time now, confidently picks up the radio and gives them our location. The officials come aboard 15 minutes later and start going through the ship's paperwork. Cosmo, our Captain does all the talking about why we are there with Ramapati, our shipbreaking campaigner giving them the details and purpose of our visit - toxics patrol of ships coming to be broken in Alang.
The customs clearance process went on for over an hour. They asked for every single ship document and other unnecessary declarations as well. We were most willing. There was nothing to hide, we had clearly stated our intentions of why the Rainbow Warrior was in India very clear to the press and the people - this is the Corporate Accountability Tour for a Clean Planet being launched in India and our campaign against multinationals operating outside their own countries and practicing double standards, refusing to accept liabilities for the damages they create would continue till we brought them down to their knees.
By the time they cast away from our vessel it was 2 past midnight. All those who were rudely woken up to assist in saying the right things to them quietly slipped away back to their cabins. The rest sat around for a while, chatted and remarked about the whole episode and what would probably happen in the next couple of days. Well that's it for today, has been really long and eventful. Let's see what happens over the next couple of days.
Today we left Bombay to sail to Alang, so the last supplies came on board. In India we've been able to buy all our fresh fruit and vegetables thanks to Miriam, our Bombay volunteer. So thanks Miriam! Even we've been able to supply the ship with fish, since we could buy some fish from local fishermen. Two women came by to clean the fish for us. We need a lot of (food)supplies, cause we'll be at sea till the 28th of November.
The crew worked all morning to get the ship ready for departure. The estimated leaving time was at midday. We finally left around a quarter to two, because we had to wait for our pilot. As soon as he came on board we left the smelly and filthy harbour of Bombay. Alang: here we come! It felt great that we were finally sailing. The Rainbow Warrior is a beautiful ship!
In the afternoon we had a crew meeting about the upcoming plans and some logistics. Moritz (the 1st mate) also told us to be very economical with our use of water. Although we have around 15.000 litre on board, we'll be at sea for a long time with 26 people. That evening I enjoyed my first sunset at the Rainbow Warrior.
Finally it is Tuesday, 11th Nov. After hectic preparations during the morning I made it to the Rainbow Warrior 20 minutes before she was to depart from Bombay. This is my first time on the legendary flagship of Greenpeace, although the newer version. The original was blown up by the French Secret Services in Auckland harbour, after her crew witnessed and protested against the French nuclear tests at Muroroa atoll in the Pacific. It resulted in the death of the Spanish photographer Fernando Pereira, the only casualty at work in the organization.
Once at sea, work onboard carried on as usual, as we were preparing for our toxics patrol of polluting ships at Alang shipbreaking yard, the largest in the world. After finishing for the day and updating the crew of the day's proceedings, it was time for night watches for the crew. The rest of us shared a joke, sorted out nitty-gritties and some returned to some imminent work. The ship works 24 hours - there's always something to do, if you look carefully. The crew onboard is diverse and a great influence on one's understanding of people, their work, the rest of the world and their prevailing situations. When all was done, we curled up and slept like babies, well deserved and totally blissful.
Consider this - the first time I met anyone from Greenpeace was on the Rainbow Warrior when it was in the India campaigning on a Toxics Free Asia Tour. I had read and heard a lot about the organisation and their work. I was in awe of them for all that they do. At that time I used to teach scuba diving in the Lakshadweep islands, off the coast of Cochin and mentioned to the crew onboard of my diving qualifications, in the hope that I would get to work with them. Four years later, I am sailing onboard the Rainbow Warrior and the first job that I do is dive off the ship with Joe, a deckhand from Lebanon. We dived to clean the sea suction valves, which were clogged with plastic bags from the port in Bombay.
Monday is just like any other 'ordinary' working day: the deck is being swabbed, the engines are being prepared and the blocks of the mast are being greased. Everybody is busy from 8 till 5. I sat down with Rama and Martin, the Indian and Belgian campaigner on board. We discussed the upcoming Tour and our strategies to get the horrors about shipbreaking into the world.
Today I bugged Thom again.... A lot actually. He's the radio operator and knows everything about the computer on board. Right Thom? We had to wait until the Amsterdam office woke up, because we had problems with the Internet connection. And they had to fix it. We have a time difference of 4,5 hours. I wrote my weblog about yesterday and we waited... and got smelly! We heard that today was the hottest November day in 25 years in Bombay! I worked below deck and it felt like my brain was melting.
I took advantage of the waiting and went into town. It was the last chance to go, because tomorrow we're sailing off to Alang. Bombay is the most bustling city I know! Everywhere you see people walking, sitting, driving, shouting, sleeping, eating and on and on and on. It's a shame I didn't bring a mini-disc to record all of these sounds. At a certain point I felt as I was in the twilight zone! Got some real good deals buying clothes. Bought some Indian music.
Finally got here. That means realizing I'm really in Bombay, India. Only yesterday I arrived from Amsterdam to Bombay via Dubai, which looked like the Arabian version of Las Vegas. A lot of (fake) glitter and glamour.
So after a long journey and a jet-lag it's getting to me: I'm on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior in India!
On the first leg of the tour, Rainbow Warrior will sail for Alang, one of the world's largest ship-breaking yards, to monitor environmental pollution and to confront European and OECD ship-owners. Ship-owners and shipping companies make huge profits from ships but do not invest a single penny in ensuring clean recycling of ships. Instead they export their toxic legacy and liabilities to ship breakers and ship breaking countries.
Yesterday I settled in, getting to know the crew and my way around on board. Today was a real meeting day, even on a Sunday! Greenpeace-people really love to talk! ;-)
In the morning we had a crew meeting about logistics on board. Cosmo (the captain) told us that there's not gonna be airconditioning on board cause the pumps don't work like they should... So it's gonna be sweaty! For the crew it must be real weird, cause they just came all the way from Iceland! Now it's like 35°C below deck! So we need to drink a lot of water."
After crew meeting I got together with people to talk about the plans of the upcoming Tour, who's doing what and when. Got together with Priya, she's the Indian web editor. And bugged Thom to get my computer running. Sorry Thom.. I'm really excited about being here, working on the Rainbow Warrior and the whole Tour. I'll tell more about that later.
Sunday is our day off, no wake up calls. Catching up on a few things such as doing my laundry. Back to the old way using the bucket (we had to stop using the washing machine because we're low on water), some reading, some hanging out, taking it easy. 
Again we had a nice sunset, dinner with lots of Indian spices, and movie night. I think I'll have an early night. Tomorrow it will all start again, and we never know what might happen, so better be prepared: safety first :)))