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Arctic Sunrise News

08 Feb 2023

Greenpeace Says Shell Threatens Protestors Occupying FPSO with "Jail Time, Fines"

More Greenpeace activists board Shell FPSO ©Greenpece

Shell has reportedly threatened legal action against Greenpeace activists who last week boarded a heavy load carrier carrying Shell's Penguins FPSO, destined for deployment in the UK North Sea.Last Tuesday, four activists climbed aboard the Boskalis' White Marlin vessel carrying the cylindrical FPSO, in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Canary Islands, calling for Shell to "Stop Drilling. Start Paying." Read more here.According to Greenpeace, Shell, late on Friday, Feb 3, hit the


01 Feb 2023

Greenpeace Activists Board Heavy-lift Vessel Carrying Shell's Penguins FPSO

Credit: Greenpeace

Four Greenpeace activists on Tuesday boarded the heavy transportation vessel carrying Shell's Penguins FPSO aboard, calling on the oil major to "Stop Drilling. Start Paying."Six Greenpeace International activists attempted, and four managed to board Boskalis' White Marlin vessel in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Canary Islands. The heavy transportation vessel is carrying the recently delivered 34,000t Penguins FPSO, which is planned to ultimately be deployed northeast of the Shetland Islands in the North Sea for the Penguins field project.

17 Sep 2020

Arctic Sea Ice Lows Mark a New Polar Climate Regime

© Kertu / Adobe Stock

At the edge of the ice blanketing part of the Arctic Ocean, the ice looked sickly. Where thick sheets of ice once sat atop the water, now a layer of soft, spongey slush slid and bobbed atop the waves.From the deck of a research ship under a bright, clear sky, “ice pilot” Paul Ruzycki mused over how quickly the region was changing since he began helping ships spot and navigate between icebergs in 1996.“Not so long ago, I heard that we had 100 years before the Arctic would be ice free in the summer,” he said. “Then I heard 75 years, 25 years, and just recently I heard 15 years.

17 Jun 2019

BP Rig Zigzags in Chase with Greenpeace Ship

Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise follows the BP chartered Transocean drilling rig Paul B Loyd Jr en route to the Vorlich field in the North Sea. The environmental activism group is calling for BP to halt drilling for new oil. (© Greenpeace / Jiri Rezac)

A BP drilling rig heading to an oilfield in the British North Sea has been forced to turn away twice over the past two days as a Greenpeace vessel protesting climate change tries to hamper its progress.The high-sea chase is the latest step in Greenpeace's nine-day effort to stop the 40,000 tonne Paul Loyd JNR rig from reaching the Vorlich oilfield to start its drilling campaign.The vessel left Cromarty Firth, north of Inverness, Scotland on Friday after police twice removed activists


21 Jul 2017

Activists Protest near Oil Rig in Norway's Arctic Sea Area

Environmental activists protested on Friday near an offshore rig contracted by Statoil in the remote Norwegian Arctic, where the firm is looking for oil and gas deposits. The Nordic country wants to open up northern areas for exploration to offset declining production in the south. Oil and gas production is Norway's leading industry, accounting for 20 percent of its economy. From the Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise ship, 11 campaigners launched inflatable boats carrying banners opposing Statoil's Songa Enabler oil rig, 275 km (170 miles) north of the Norwegian coast, in the Arctic Barents sea. One of the banners read "“The People Vs. Arctic Oil”.

02 Nov 2015

Greenpeace Activists Divert Helsinki-bound Coal Ship

The environmental activist group Greenpeace managed to board and get a coal-carrying freighter on its way from St. Petersburg to change its course before arriving to Helsinki harbour. A Greenpeace activist has scaled the 155m long bulk carrier, Alppila, transporting coal to one of Finland’s most polluting power plants in central Helsinki. The coal ship and its climate-damaging cargo have now aborted its entry to the Port of Helsinki and now steam away from Helsinki accompanied by a Finnish coast guard vessel. One activist made the climb up the side of the Alppila and was immediately detained by the crew onboard. Later, however, the activist managed to climb a crane onboard the coal ship and get to the grab.

18 Nov 2014

Greenpeace Ship Detained in Spain

Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise protests oil prospecting in the Canary Islands (Photo: CopterClouds/ Greenpeace)

A Greenpeace ship was detained by Spanish authorities today in the port of Arrecife, Lanzarote, following last Saturday's protest against Repsol’s potential oil drilling in the Canary Islands. Spain’s Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (Ministerio de Fomento) has detained Arctic Sunrise, a ship operated by Greenpeace International, while an investigation is performed into the protest on November 15 which resulted in the injuries of two Greenpeace activists when the Spanish Navy allegedly rammed Arctic Sunrise, Greenpeace said.

11 Aug 2014

Greenpeace Ship Welcomed Back After 300-day Russian Detention

The environmental protest icebreaker 'Arctic Sunrise' has sailed back into Dutch territorial waters after over 300 days in Russian custody. The ship had been held illegally since taking part in a peaceful direct action against state owned oil company Gazprom, as it tried to drill the world’s first oil well in icy Arctic waters, says Greenpeace. Several members of the so called ‘Arctic 30’ were there to greet the ship and boarded the vessel in Beverwijk, near Amsterdam. “This is a joyous day for me, for my friends and for the millions of people around the world who campaigned for the release of the Arctic 30 and the Arctic Sunrise”, says Dutch climate and energy campaigner Faiza Oulahsen


17 Jun 2014

No Middle Ground for Environmental Lobby

When dealing with the environmental lobby, there’s really only one thing you need to know. The nautical definition of middle ground is a length of comparatively shallow water having channels on both sides. In everyday language, we might call it a position of compromise between two opposing views or parties. That’s typically what reasonable folks try to achieve when resolving disputes or disagreements. For some in the environmental lobby, however, there’s no such thing as middle ground. And, there never will be. The sooner the maritime industry and its oil & gas cousins wake up to this reality, the better. I must admit that I am increasingly not a fan of the environmental lobby. That’s not to say I don’t support some of its collective goals and missions. I do.

06 Jun 2014

Russia to Release Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise

Arctic Sunrise (Photo: Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert / Greenpeace)

Russia’s investigative committee (IC) this morning informed Greenpeace International that it has annulled the arrest of the ship Arctic Sunrise, which has remained in custody in Murmansk since performing a protest against Arctic oil drilling September 19, 2013. According to Greenpeace, the investigative committee recently extended its investigation into the protest at the Prirazlomnaya platform by two months, until July 24. However, lawyers acting for Greenpeace International were informed of the ship’s release during a meeting in the port city of Murmansk this morning.

14 Jan 2014

Russian Trawler's Arrest: A Law of the Sea Test Case?

Earlier photo of 'Oleg Naidenov' protest courtesy of Greenpeace

The Russian trawler Oleg Naydenov was recently arrested and escorted in to the Port of Dakar by Senegal navy vessels. If found guilty it faces a doubling of the usual fine, and the arrest has also sparked an appeal by African coastal nations for an opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. A French military plane flying over Senegal's Exclusive Economic Zone detected some of the same vessels that had been stripped of their licences continuing to fish in these waters.

19 Dec 2013

Greenpeace Arctic 30 Back Home for Christmas Soon

The 'Arctic 30': Photo credit Greenpeace

The Greenpeace activists who spent two months in jail after their protest in the Arctic have expressed relief after the Russian parliament voted to grant them amnesty. The Russian parliament, the Duma, has voted for an amendment that extends an amnesty decree to defendants who have been charged with hooliganism. It therefore includes the Arctic 30 - the 28 activists and two freelance journalists who were arrested following a protest at a Gazprom-operated Arctic oil platform three month ago.

05 Dec 2013

Greenpeace Arctic 30 Activists Wait for Permission to Exit Russia

The 'Arctic 30': Photo credit Greenpeace

Lawyers for the Arctic 30 have started to lodge applications with Russia's Investigative Committee seeking exit visas for the non-Russian nationals. If the applications are approved, the foreign nationals would be allowed to leave Russia to await ongoing investigations into their Greenpeace International Arctic oil drilling protest. All of the foreign nationals, 26 people from 17 nations, have had their passports returned to them after their release on bail from detention last month.

03 Dec 2013

Greenpeace Russia Vessel Detention: Dutch Government Bond Ready

Outside Russian detention building: Photo credit Greenpeace

The Dutch Foreign Ministry has finalised a bank guarantee of 3.6 million euros in compliance with a binding ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ordering Russia to release the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and the Arctic 30 protesters. "The Netherlands has now fulfilled its part of the Tribunal's binding order and Russia is obligated to also comply by releasing the ship and the Arctic 30, as the Tribunal so ordered. The Tribunal has ordered both Russia and the Netherlands to report back on progress with their compliance by December 2.

25 Nov 2013

Law of the Sea Tribunal Orders (Bonded) Release of 'Arctic Sunrise'

Arctic Sunrise: Photo credit Greenpeace

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has ordered the Russian Federation in a binding ruling to release the Greenpeace ship 'Arctic Sunrise' and the 28 activists and two freelance journalists on board upon payment of a EUR 3.6 million bond. According to Greenpeace International Russia is now under an obligation to comply with the order: the Russian Constitution itself states that international law forms an integral part of the Russian legal system and Russian courts are under an obligation to implement the order.

22 Nov 2013

Russian Court Rejects Plea to Release Greenpeace Ship

MV Arctic Sunrise: Image credit Greenpeace

The Murmansk Regional Court has rejected an appeal against the arrest of the ship 'Arctic Sunrise' by Russian authorities reports Greenpeace. "This is an extremely disappointing ruling. We believe this verdict is in violation of both the Russian Criminal Procedure Code and international law. Cassation procedures are now available under Russian law," said Gerrit-Jan Bolderman, Director of Stichting Phoenix, the ship’s owner. Besides the possibility of a further appeal at a cassation court by Stichting Phoenix


20 Nov 2013

Greenpeace Posts Bail for Nine of the Arctic 30

Greenpeace International said it has already posted bail for nine of the Arctic 30, but does not expect them to be released before the weekend. Lawyers say they are making bail payments - set at 2 million rubles (€45,000) for each detainee - as quickly as they can. At court hearings this morning Faiza Oulahsen from the Netherlands and British citizen Alexandra Harris became the 13th and 14th Arctic 30 prisoners to be granted bail. Lawyers for Greenpeace today said there are a number of bureaucratic issues to resolve before any of the Arctic 30 are released from jail and they do not expect any of them to be out of prison until the weekend, possibly later. It is still not clear whether their movements will then be restricted.

12 Nov 2013

Greenpeace's Actic Sunrise Detention: Diplomats Meet

Russian Coast Guard boarding: Image courtesy of Greenpeace

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans informs 'Russia info' that he has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the situation concerning the Greenpeace vessel. Relations between Russia and the Netherlands have been tense recently since an attack on a Russian diplomat in the Hague and the arrest in Russia of the Arctic Sunrise vessel, which sailed under the Dutch flag. On 19 September, 2013, border guards stormed the Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise ship after the conservationists tried to hold a protest on the Prirazlomnaya platform in the Pechora sea.

05 Nov 2013

Greenpeace Arctic Detention & Upcoming ITLOS Hearing

Credit: Cobb/Greenpeace

ITLOS is an independent judicial body located in Hamburg, Germany, established to resolve disputes about the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Dutch authorities initiated an arbitration case against Russia on October 4, and on October 21 called for ITLOS to indicate ‘provisional measures’ pending the outcome of that arbitration. In a “provisional measures” case like this one, ITLOS can order measures it thinks appropriate to preserve the respective rights of the Netherlands and the Russian Federation


01 Nov 2013

Russia Fails to Lift Arctic 30 Piracy Charges

Prosecuting authorities in Russia were under fire today after it was revealed that they have failed to lift charges of piracy against the Arctic 30, despite pledging to do so. Russia’s powerful Investigative Committee announced last week that the piracy charges – which carry a 15-year jail sentence – would be replaced with charges of hooliganism. But when the thirty detainees were brought before the Committee over the course of this week, the piracy charge was not withdrawn. Instead each of them was simply served with the additional charge of hooliganism. They now stand accused of both offences, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 and 7 years, respectively.

24 Oct 2013

Latest on Greenpeace Arctic Protest Aftermath

Russia boycotts ITLOS arbitration concerning their siezure of the Dutch-flagged 'Arctic Sunrise', and Greenpeace responds to reports that piracy charges against the 30 held in custody were to be replaced by that of 'hooliganism'. The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced that it will not accept an international arbitration process at which the Netherlands is seeking the release of the Greenpeace International ship Arctic Sunrise and its crew. It also said it plans not to attend the hearing at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). According to Greenpeace, the Ministry did, however, say that at the same time Russia remains open to settling the situation. “The Arctic 30 are no more hooligans than they were pirates.

21 Oct 2013

Netherlands Pushes for Release of Arctic Greenpeace Protestors

The Dutch government has lodged a rare application at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), asking it to order the immediate release of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and all those who were aboard for the peaceful protest against Gazprom’s Arctic oil platform, the Prirazlomnaya. If ITLOS rules in favor of the Netherlands, the 28 Greenpeace International activists, freelance photographer Denis Sinyakov and freelance videographer Kieron Bryan could go home while they await confirmation of a Russian court date. The Dutch authorities initiated an arbitration case against Russia on October 4, and are calling for ITLOS to indicate ‘provisional measures’ pending the outcome of that arbitration.

14 Oct 2013

Greenpeace's 'Arctic Sunrise' Skipper Refused Bail

Peter Wilcox: Photo courtesy of Greenpeace

The captain of the Greenpeace International ship 'Arctic Sunrise' and two other activists have been refused bail by a Russian Court informs Greenpeace International. American Pete Willcox appeared this morning before a court in Murmansk. He was the captain of the Arctic Sunrise when it was seized last month by armed men from the Russian security forces. He was also the captain of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985 when it was bombed by the French secret service, killing Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira.