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Greenpeace to demand compensation from Russia for ship Arctic Sunrise being idle

The Greenpeace pays over 1 million euro a year for the ship’s charter

ARKHANGELSK, November (ITAR-TASS). The Greenpeace environmental organisation might demand from Russia compensations for the ship Arctic Sunrise it holds being idle. The Greenpeace pays over 1 million euro a year for the ship’s charter, the press service of Greenpeace International in Amsterdam told Itar-Tass.

Sources in the Greenpeace said this would undoubtedly be discussed, while ending the unjustified prosecution of the 30 activists (Arctic30) comes first.

Sources in the Greenpeace specified that the payment to the owner of Stichting Phoenix company for the ship’s charter was 1.89 million euro a year. Sources said the Greenpeace requested an access for engineers to the ship to maintain its technical state but the request was denied, so Greenpeace has no information from the authorities and no knowledge about the icebreaker’s state.

The icebreaker Arctic Sunrise flying the Dutch flag approached on September 18 the Russian oil drilling rig Prirazlomnaya in the Pechora Sea. The Greenpeace activists on board the ship tried to climb on the platform, protesting against drilling operations in the Arctic. Their actions were checked by coast guards and then the ship was towed to the port of Murmansk.

The Leninsky district court of Murmansk imposed the arrest on the ship Arctic Sunrise on October 7, regarding its detention by Russian security services being legal under article 19 of the Convention on the Law of the Sea that permits confiscation of a pirate ship.

All the 30 persons on board the ship, including four Russian citizens, were detained. The activists were initially charged with sea piracy, and later the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation changed the accusation to hooliganism. St Petersburg court granted bail to 29 of the 30 activists.

On November 21, the Murmansk regional court rejected the appeal of the Greenpeace representatives against the detention of the ship Arctic Sea.

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg ruled on November 22 that Russia should release the vessel Arctic Sunrise and the Greenpeace activists for a bond of 3.6 million euro.