GOLD COAST, Monday 15 July 2024 — Greenpeace has today unveiled its first-ever ship to be permanently based in the Australia-Pacific region in a naming ceremony on the Gold Coast, charting a new course in Greenpeace’s at-sea legacy.
The Oceania, a purpose-designed environmental campaigning vessel enables Greenpeace—one of the world’s best-known environmental organisations—to amp up at-sea activity over some of the world’s most beautiful and ecologically precious waters, from the Great Barrier Reef to Western Australia’s Scott Reef, to the South Tasman Sea and the waters of Pacific Island nations.
“Our region’s magnificent oceans face severe threats including offshore gas drilling, deep sea mining, overfishing, plastic pollution and climate damage. The launch of the Oceania creates a dynamic new capacity for Greenpeace to expose, document, and peacefully confront these and other threats to the oceans in our region,” said David Ritter, CEO, Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
“The Oceania will also help deepen and strengthen our relationships with Pasifika communities, who are not only on the frontlines of the climate crisis but are leaders in finding climate solutions.
“Greenpeace has a proud legacy of at-sea campaigning worldwide. Greenpeace Australia Pacific was born in Albany, Western Australia, where our very first action blockading a whaling station with small zodiac boats ultimately helped end whaling in Australia,” said Ritter.
The ship, a 24-meter aluminium ketch originally from France, was retrofitted and rebuilt on the Gold Coast over almost two months. The purpose-built interior allows for a crew of up to 11 and features specially designed environmentally conscious features, including four modern solar panels and the latest in navigation equipment for planning the most efficient long transits. The lifting centreboard in place of a keel allows the vessel to travel more efficiently and navigate shallow waters where few ships can go. The ship has two masts and five sails, allowing for it to transit primarily under wind.
“The Oceania is a game-changer. We will use the Oceania to do what Greenpeace does best — bear witness, collaborate with communities, and take peaceful direct action against big polluters. With almost 50 years of at-sea campaigning in our wake, Oceania charts a new course in Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s legacy,” said Greenpeace captain Daniel Rizzotti.
“Australia and the Pacific are some of the most beautiful and precious places on earth, but also the most vulnerable. The Oceania will be a beacon, a spotlight and a messenger. It means big polluters have nowhere to hide in our vast blue backyard. Its environmentally-friendly refit means we leave a small footprint doing big work.”
For its inaugural campaign, Oceania will set sail next week for Broome, Western Australia, where it will stand with communities against fossil fuel giant Woodside – the largest oil and gas company in Australia. Woodside wants to develop its Burrup Hub project, the largest proposed fossil fuel project in Australia today. If it gets the green light, the Burrup Hub would emit more than 6.1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions over its lifetime to 2070, fuelling the climate catastrophe already impacting Australian and Pacific communities.
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Kimberley Bernard at 0407 581 404 or [email protected] or Jackson Reid on 0425 809 006 or [email protected]
Notes to Editor:
Photos and videos of the renovation of Oceania can be found here
Details on Greenpeace’s fleet can be found here