ships

A Greenpeace inflatable prevents the Nisshin Maru from being refuelled by the Oriental Bluebird © Greenpeace/Jiri Rezac

A few days ago, the Esperanza - which had been pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet for two weeks - was forced to quit the chase and head back to port as the ship is running low on fuel. But this year's Southern Ocean expedition has been a resounding success.

After eleven days successfully preventing the Japanese whaling fleet from killing whales in the Southern Ocean, the crew of the Esperanza were this morning able to inconvenience them still further by delaying the refuelling of their factory ship, the Nisshin Maru.

Part of the Trident: we don't buy it tour blog

Sunrise over The Sunrise
© Greenpeace/Sumner

Blimey. I’m not sure how time has slipped past so fast but, after a five week frenzy of Faslane blockading, crane climbing, arrests, solitary confinement, losing the ship, getting it back again, bearing witness, gigs, press conferences, political events, rallies and general sleep deprivation, the Trident: we don’t buy it tour has just come to an end.

The Arctic Sunrise set sail for Scandinavia a couple of hours ago, cheered on from the quayside by a smattering of exhausted Greenpeace folk and watched by the police boat that inevitably appears every time the ship moves.

Part of the Trident: we don't buy it tour blog

Portia - volunteer
UK

The hospitality of Glasgow jails is a far cry from that of the Amazon, where I was working before joining the Arctic Sunrise as assistant cook come deck hand.

Part of the Trident: we don't buy it tour blog



A huge thanks to all the musicians, artists, crew and volunteers involved in last night's performance, and to everyone who came along to watch from the quayside - it was a special night here on the Thames!

Part of the Trident: we don't buy it tour blog

The fun's about to begin. Our ice-breaker has been transformed into a fully-fledged music venue. Lighting rigs, speakers, microphones, mixing desks, screens and crates of cables (approximately as heavy as the core of the sun) have been manoeuvred down slippery gangways, onto floating pontoons and set up on the ship's helideck. The soundcheck is happening now - the latest event on our Trident: we don't buy it tour is ready to go...