Greenpeace ship “Arctic Sunrise” (C) is seen anchored outside the Arctic port city of Murmansk on September 28, 2013. Credit. REUTERS/Dmitri Sharomov/Greenpeace
By Toby Sterling AMSTERDAM, July 18 (Reuters) – Russia must pay the Netherlands more than 5 million euros ($5.79 million)in damages for seizing a Dutch-flagged Greenpeace vessel in 2013 and arresting 30 people aboard, an international arbitration panel ruled on Tuesday.
Russian Federal Security Service agents captured the Arctic Sunrise in international waters after a protest against an oil platform. Those on board were detained in Russian prisons for months and released shortly before the Sochi Olympics.
The five-member arbitration panel, based in Vienna, ruled in 2015 that Russia was liable under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and has now put a price on damages to the ship, as well as the wrongful arrest and suffering of 30 people aboard.
“This decision makes clear that ships in international waters cannot be forcibly boarded and those aboard arrested at a whim,” Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said in a statement.
Russia declined to take part in arbitration, arguing that it was acting within its sovereign rights to seize the ship in an area of international waters where Russia enjoys exclusive economic rights. Activists had earlier tried to scale the Prirazlomnaya drilling platform, operated by Gazprom.
The arbitration panel found it had jurisdiction under UNCLOS, which Russia is party to and which empowers it to resolve such disputes. Moscow was not immediately available for comment.
Russia’s state-operated RIA Novosti news agency reported that Moscow would review the decision but cited unnamed sources at the Foreign Ministry saying it still rejected the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
Greepeace said the panel’s rulings “resoundingly reaffirm the right to peaceful protest at sea.”
It acknowledged that it is unclear whether Russia would comply with the ruling and pay damages.
Any funds Russia pays will be forwarded to Greenpeace International by the Dutch government, the environmental group said. They will go to ship repairs and as compensation for the 30 arrestees. ($1 = 0.8642 euros) (Reporting by Toby Sterling. Additional reporting by Anthony Deutch, Bart Meijer and Polina Devitt.; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
SYDNEY/WELLINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) – The U.S. Coast Guard has rejected comments by a Chinese diplomat that its recent boardings of Chinese fishing boats in the Pacific Islands alongside local police are illegal, saying...
By Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) – Nine Egyptian men who were on board a migrant boat that sank off Greece last year, killing hundreds of people, are to face trial next month,...
By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden took an aerial tour on Friday of the collapsed Baltimore bridge that is blocking a key East Coast shipping lane, and he pledged...
April 5, 2024
Total Views: 651
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.