Activists detained after attempt to block Gazprom tanker delivery

The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior was boarded yesterday by Dutch security agents in the port of Rotterdam, who broke down the door of the communications room and towed the ship to shore after it intercepted a Russian tanker carrying Arctic oil to Europe.

A total of 44 activists, including crew members onboard the Rainbow Warrior and activists in inflatables have been detained after they attempted to block the tanker from docking on the quayside. 

Commenting on the news, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said: “Our activists may be detained but this campaign is just getting started. The Arctic 30 spent two months in a Russian prison to shine a light on the madness of drilling for oil in the melting Arctic, and today they have shown real courage once again. We are hugely proud of their bravery and determination.

“From Russia to Rotterdam, our governments remain hopelessly dependent on oil, while the side effects of this addiction become more dangerous by the day. Breaking this chain is not just an environmental imperative, it is a matter of peace and security. The fight to stop Arctic oil drilling is one of the defining battles of our time. We will not be intimidated, and we will win.”

A group of 80 activists supported by the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior attempted to stop Gazprom’s oil tanker Mikhail Ulyanov from delivering the first ever oil from Arctic waters yesterday.

The protesters included the same oil 28 Greenpeace activists and two journalists who were imprisoned in Russia for protesting against last year. 

One group of activists painted “No Arctic Oil” in large letters on the hull of the “Mikhail Ulyanov” tanker, while other activists in inflatables tried to prevent the ship from mooring by putting themselves between the quay wall and the tanker.