THE GREENPEACE vessel SV Rainbow Warrior II docked in Larnaca yesterday morning, where it planned to load up on humanitarian aid and then depart for Lebanon at 11pm.
A Greenpeace source said the main purpose of the mission was to examine and assist in the cleanup of a giant oil slick off the coast of Lebanon, which has been characterised as one of the greatest ecological disasters to confront the Mediterranean.
Last month, Israeli jets bombed a power plant south of Beirut, spilling tens of thousands of tonnes of oil into the Mediterranean. The oil slick, which has polluted the shores of Lebanon and devastated marine life, is presently heading north under prevailing southwesterly winds towards Syria and eastern Turkey.
Since the vessel was heading towards Lebanon, Greenpeace decided to assist in the aid effort by transporting a shipload of relief goods to the aid group Medicins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) in Beirut.
“We understood that there were major difficulties for humanitarian organisations such as MSF in getting bulk supplies quickly from Cyprus to Beirut,” said Bruno Rebelle, programme director of Greenpeace International.
“We are very happy that we can contribute to a temporary solution to these problems as we are, like everyone else, deeply concerned about the consequences of the fighting in the Middle-East for the civilian population.”
The Rainbow Warrior has the capacity to transport 40 tonnes, equivalent to 105 pallets.
The Larnaca Port Authorities told the Cyprus Mail that the Rainbow Warrior would be able to leave only if it could secure permission from Israel to use the humanitarian sea corridor that other vessels have been using to transport aid to Beirut.
“They unloaded a number of Zodiac inflatables here at the port to make space on board for the humanitarian aid, so they’re certainly coming back,” said an official at the Larnaca Port.
In a July 31 statement, Greenpeace called for an “immediate cease fire and an end to the violence and environmental destruction”.
“While our immediate concern and sympathy lies with the injured, the displaced and the families of the victims of this conflict, long-term environmental damage is an inevitable consequence of war,” the statement said.
State radio reported that Rainbow Warrior travelled to Cyprus from Turkey, and had planned to continue on to France and then Peru.
A number of other vessels are also transporting aid to Lebanon out of Cyprus. While the island has been the main evacuation hub for Lebanon, it has recently developed into the central distribution centre for humanitarian aid to Lebanon. Aid is flown in to Cyprus, where the goods are then packed onto vessels for shipment to Lebanon.
There have also been a number of organisations in Cyprus involved in collecting aid on the island, such as the Cyprus chapter of Doctors of the World, the Cyprus Red Cross, as well as the Kykkos monastery and the Armenian Church.
The Princessa Marissa was set to steam to Lebanon last night and return today to Larnaca with 800 to 1,000 Lebanese and foreign nationals.
It will mark the final evacuation trip for the Princessa Marissa, whose contract with the Canadian government is nearing its end.
A Red Cross vessel is presently in Beirut, where it docked to unload humanitarian supplies, and is scheduled to return to Cyprus today.
With a presence in 40 countries around the world, Greenpeace is a non-profit global organisation that focuses on threats to the planet’s environment and biodiversity.
To maintain independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations.
The bombing of the rainbow
The Rainbow Warrior, launched in 1989, is the second Greenpeace vessel by that name.
The first Rainbow Warrior was sunk in 1985 by French operatives in Auckland harbour, New Zealand, after they attached two explosive devices on the side of its hull. The vessel was preparing to set sail for the Moruroa Atoll in protest of French nuclear testing there.
Though the explosion had been designed to cripple the ship without causing fatalities, a photographer, Fernando Peraira, drowned in the sinking ship when he tried to retrieve his equipment from his cabin.
The French government initially condemned the bombing as an act of terrorism, but when two French agents were arrested in connection with the attack, France had to accept responsibility. France apologised and offered New Zealand $6.5 million.
Under international pressure, France later paid Greenpeace $8.16 million.
It was not until the 20th anniversary of the bombing that the involvement of French President Francois Mitterrand was officially admitted.
The vessel is named after a Native American prophecy: “When the world is sick and dying, the people will rise up like Warriors of the Rainbow”.
