Greenpeace Arctic 30 Back Home for Christmas Soon
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.
Greenpeace: Duma Draft Needs Amendment to Benefit 'Arctic 30'
Lawyers for Greenpeace International believe the draft text of a Russian amnesty to be voted on by the Duma (the Russian parliament) would be unlikely to benefit the Arctic 30 protesters. Thus they still face the possibility of trial and conviction for their protest. In its present form, the proposal would apply only to people who have either been convicted of hooliganism, or people who are on trial and will be convicted within the six month period after the amnesty decree is adopted.
WSS Helps Provide Safe Arctic Passage
Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) is helping clients execute voyages through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) as this new trade lane begins to open up new opportunities for shipping. WSS is working with Russian Arctic shipping specialist Rosatomflot for ice-breaking assistance and has developed a programme to assists clients with technical, legal and insurance preparations they must satisfy to make the journey safely. The NSR is currently open between 1 July and 1 November but holds out the long-term prospect of a faster route between Northern Europe and North Asia/Alaska, cutting the journey time on an Europe-Asia voyage from 34 days to 22 days.
Russia to Set up Three Shipbuilding Holdings in 2007
The Russian government will soon adopt a strategy for the development of shipbuilding until 2020, which envisions the creation of three major shipbuilding holdings, the defense minister said Tuesday. The minister said one of the holdings will be set up in Russia's Far East to ensure the development of the shipbuilding industry on the Pacific coast. The upper house of the Russian parliament recently discussed the current crisis in the civilian shipbuilding industry and issued a statement urging the government to adopt a comprehensive strategy to lead the industry out of the current quagmire. Members of the Federation Council stated that…
