- Title: RUSSIA: Greenpeace boat not allowed to dock in Russian Arctic port of Murmansk.
- Date: 6th August 2012
- Summary: MURMANSK, RUSSIA (AUGUST 5, 2012) (REUTERS) MURMANSK PORT TRAINS AT MURMANSK PORT MURMANSK PORT VARIOUS OF NUCLEAR POWERED BOAT "LENIN" IN MURMANSK PORT SIGN AT "LENIN" ENTRANCE IN RUSSIAN READING 'NO TRESPASSING' VARIOUS OF MURMANSK PORT MURMANSK APARTMENT BLOCKS BEHIND PORT, SEEN FROM MOVING BOAT GREENPEACE BOAT ANCHORED AWAY FROM PORT (SOUNDBITE) (English) GREENPEACE
- Embargoed: 21st August 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Russian Federation
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA9IR6EAOTXZZ1TH6XPQKHREZA4
- Story Text: A Greenpeace boat due to embark on a trip to expose the environmental impact of Russia's oil industry in the Arctic is not allowed to dock in Murmansk.
A Greenpeace expedition, set to embark on a trip to explore the environmental impact of the oil industry in the Arctic, ran into trouble on Sunday (August 5) when its boat was not allowed to dock at the Russian port of Murmansk.
The boat, Arctic Sunrise, was due to take on board a small group of journalists and environmentalists. It attempted to dock in Murmansk, but was denied access to the city's main port.
"First to our great surprise, in the whole port of Murmansk, we were not allowed to get to a pier, to a berth. So, we have not received a berth, neither in the fishery port, nor in the harbour port," Greenpeace Russia Arctic programme coordinator Roman Dolgov told Reuters.
"The fact is that we could see now that there are a lot of anchorage points in the port, we got an anchorage point which is almost the farthest in this area. So, to take our guests on board of Arctic Sunrise, we need to hire a boat, a separate boat, and one way from the port to the ship takes approximately one hour," Dolgov added.
The arrival in Murmansk, Greenpeace's first visit to the Arctic port city in 10 years, is one of many stops planned on the Greenpeace boat tour.
The expedition is meant to expose what the environmental activists say are environmental threats to the Arctic and Subarctic ecosystem from oil drilling, industrial fishing and climate change.
Greenpeace organised a campaign to sign a petition on streets in Murmans downtown, complete with an activist dressed as a polar bear. Many local residents weresupportinve.
"I, and probably my grandchildren too, would like for the Arctic - such a lovely area, and the most amazing, and as many people say, it is the number one travel experience in the silence and calm - to be clean and to give happiness not only in terms of its energy resources in the future for our country and others, but also for it to conquer our hearts with its cleanliness and beauty," local TV journalist Tatiana Nesterova told Reuters.
Russia's top oil company Rosneft signed a landmark Arctic drilling venture with ExxonMobil earlier this year.
Greenpeace, which hopes to shadow oil companies' drilling vessels on their expedition, has made claims that the Russian Arctic and Subarctic ecosystem has suffered from decades of oil mining and transportation. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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