Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise Departs Murmansk

MURMANSK, RUSSIA -1st Aug 2014 –
The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise departs from Murmansk, Russia. Captain Daniel Rizzotti and other Greenpeace crew gained access to the Arctic Sunrise on June 27th, finding that after more than nine months without maintenance, the ship must undergo considerable work to make it seaworthy for its departure from Murmansk, and its return to Amsterdam. On June 6th 2014, the lawyers acting on behalf of Greenpeace International were informed that the Russian Investigative Committee (IC) decided to annul the arrest of the Arctic Sunrise, which until then has been illegally detained in the Arctic port of Murmansk. On September 18th, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was involved in a peaceful protest at Gazproms Prirazlomnaya platform, later, armed Russian agents boarded the ship and seized the crew at gunpoint. The “Arctic 30” (28 crew members of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and 2 freelance journalists) were detained on September 19th by Russian Security forces charged with both piracy and hooliganism. They were allowed to return home after 3 months of detention in Russia.