Greenpeace icebreaker leaves Kara Sea

Environmental activist organization Greenpeace said Aug. 26 that its icebreaker Arctic Sunrise was departing Russia’s Kara Sea and Northern Sea route “under threat of force” from the Russian Coast Guard. Russia had refused to issue a permit to Greenpeace to transit the Arctic Sunrise around the Northern Sea Route but the vessel had nevertheless embarked on a voyage through the route. Greenpeace has been criticizing oil and gas exploration in the Russian Arctic offshore and wants to see drilling in the region banned.

“Greenpeace entered the area to protest peacefully against Arctic oil exploration by Russian state-owned company Roseneft and the U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil,” Greenpeace said in an Aug. 26 statement.

According to Greenpeace, Russian Coast Guard personnel had boarded the icebreaker in the Kara Sea and warned that the Coast Guard would you force if necessary if the vessel did not leave the area. Greenpeace says that it will call on the Dutch government to consider a legal complaint against Russia “for violation of international law of the sea and freedom of expression.” Apparently the Arctic Sunrise is registered in Holland.

According to a report in the Financial Times Russian authorities said that they had refused to issue a permit for the Arctic Sunrise because Greenpeace had not provided information about the width of the vessel’s protective ice belt.

—Alan Bailey