Greenpeace Blocks Lake Erie Coal Freighter
After spending the past three days anchored off the shore of Port Colborne, the Greenpeace vessel MY Arctic Sunrise went into action on Lake Erie Thursday morning, blocking a freighter loaded with coal from reaching the Nanticoke power generating station.
“They’re in full action mode right now up in Nanticoke,” said Paul Ruzycki, a Greenpeace representative and Port Colborne native, who has been serving aboard the Arctic Sunrise. He was in his hometown when the protest occurred, purchasing supplies for the ship. 
Ruzycki said the Greenpeace activists aboard the Arctic Sunrise stopped the Algomarine, loaded with 30,000 tonnes of coal from reaching Nanticoke. The ships were anchored about 24 kilometres from shore during the protest.
The Greenpeace activists also “managed to paint the side of the ship,” Ruzycki said.
In white lettering, they painted “No nukes. No coal. Clean energy now,” across the hull of the Algomarine, owned by Algoma Central Corp. of Sault Ste. Marie.
Three members of the Arctic Sunrise crew, two women and a man, also boarded the Algomarine.
At about 8 a.m., two of the protesters, Dominique Du Sablon, 20, of Toronto, and Charlie Latimer, 25, of Vancouver, chained themselves to the ship’s unloading boom.
A few hours later, a third protester, Emily-Elizabeth Storey, 22, of Toronto, chained herself to the ship’s rudder.
“It’s a beautiful day out here in the lake. I’m looking at a coal ship and it’s now anchored and not delivering coal to Nanticoke,” Shawn-Patrick Stensil, energy campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, said yesterday morning, a few hours after the protest began.
By about 1:30 p.m., those three protesters were removed from the ship and arrested.
Besides being arrested, the protesters also put themselves in serious danger of injury, added Allister Paterson from Seaway Marine Transport, which manages the vessel for Algoma Central Corp.
He said the actions of the protesters were “exceptionally dangerous. You’d have to have a death wish, I think, to do something like that.”
Paterson said he can’t understand how the protesters even managed to board the Algomarine.
“The ship is 700 plus feet long and they’re very high. It’s an athletic feat to climb, there’s no set of stairs. It’s exceptionally dangerous, because if you fall and you go under, you’re dead.”
Stensil said the protesters knew the risks, but felt the environmental message they were sending was more important.
“This is an environmental wrong, frankly it’s a moral wrong and the environmentalists that went out on the boat this morning new that. That’s why they’re willing to take the risks,” he said.
With the safety of the crew, as well as the protesters in mind, Paterson said the Algomarine’s crew “parked the vessel. We shut it down. Locked it down and anchored because what they were doing was not safe for anybody. We just wanted to be sure no one on the crew and none of the protesters got hurt.”
Greenpeace went into action at about 4 a.m., Thursday when the Arctic Sunrise, which had been anchored off the coast of Port Colborne, began its search for the Algomarine.
They found the ship about four hours later, en route to Nanticoke. As four Zodiacs were launched into the water towards the Algomarine, Stensil radioed the Algomarine, and told her captain, “We need to stop climate change within the next 10 to 15 years, and Nanticoke is Ontario’s biggest threat to the climate,” he recalled.
“I let him know that the protesters were coming and it was a peaceful protest, nonviolent, as per Greenpeace philosophy,” Stensil said. “I asked him as a citizen of the world, to refuse to deliver that coal.”
When Stensil finished talking to the Algomarine’s captain, there was only static over the radio.
“You can’t respond to that,” Paterson said. “You don’t negotiate with people who are going to board your ship and that sort of thing. Whatever the intent, it’s illegal. It’s unsafe, and it’s a very dangerous thing to do.”
Following the arrest of the three protesters, Stensil said the Arctic Sunrise sailed near the canal where Nanticoke’s coal would be unloaded, in a further attempt to block the Algomarine.
Despite the delays caused by the Greenpeace protest, Paterson said the Algomarine’s crew won’t go anywhere near the Arctic Sunrise.
“This isn’t our dispute. We’re a third party in it. We’re a charter coal mover and we’re not going to go anywhere near it. We’re in no hurry to go in. We’ve just set anchor and we’ll let the dispute play out,” Paterson said.
The protest garnered a large response from police, who dispatched boats and helicopters to the scene.
In fact, Stensil said the Arctic Sunrise’s captain Pete Bouquet, who has been involved with the organization since 1978, told him the last time he’d seen a police response like this was when they tried to interfere with a transport of nuclear missiles in Europe several years ago.
“It kind of makes you wonder, the public’s really behind closing coal generation plants, but then the entire police force is surrounding Nanticoke,” Stensil said.
Ontario Provincial Police Const. Paula Wright, who contacted The Tribune from the scene of the protest, confirmed that there was a significant police presence there - although, at the time, she couldn’t describe the extent of the police response.
“We’re still operational. That’s why my information’s limited at this time,” she explained.
She did, however, say “there were enough of a police presence to ensure the safety of the Ontario Power Generation and our community.”
John Earl, media spokesman for Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which runs the power plant, said the plant notified police, increased security, and warned the community in anticipation of the protest, through letters distributed to neighbouring homes.
“Of course our concern is that we want to ensure the safe reliable operation of our station, safe for our staff, safe for the community around the station and safe for Ontario consumers so that electricity supply isn’t threatened,” Earl said. Although there have been reports that Nanticoke staff received additional training on how to deal with the protesters, he would not discuss it.
Earl called the protest a “willful, unlawful act by Greenpeace to impede international transport in the international shipping lanes. That’s about the extent of it. It was a willful determination on the part of Greenpeace to act against that vessel.”
Stensil said Greenpeace is a “peace-based organization, nonviolent and we confront environmental wrongs. We stop nuclear waste dumping in the ocean, we help preserve the rain forest in B.C. a few years ago. When you’re doing this stuff often you make enemies, but in the end it’s better for everyone around.”
The Arctic Sunrise has been in Lake Erie since Monday, promoting the development of clean renewable energy rather than coal and nuclear power generating stations, like Nanticoke.
It’s already too late to stop climate change, Stensil said. In fact, the average world temperature has already increased by more than half a degree.
The work Greenpeace is currently involved in, Stensil added, “is about stopping dangerous climate change, that would be a 2§ C increase in global temperature.”
There’s only 10 to 15 years to prevent that temperature increase, he added. If that doesn’t happen, he said scientists are warning that droughts and rising sea levels will create “environmental refugees.” He said resolving the issue and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions is urgent, and Nanticoke is Ontario’s biggest producer of greenhouse gas.
“If we don’t start shutting Nanticoke down in the near term by investing in other options that are quick to deploy, we’re not doing our part to stop that.”
The power plant is also a significant contributor to smog levels in the air, particularly over southern Ontario. Smog has been linked to 6,000 deaths a year, in Ontario alone.
Earl said he would not “get into a debate” about Greenpeace’s accusations.
While Nanticoke is a large coal-fired station, Earl said, compared to other similar power station, “its rate of emissions is very favourable. It’s one of the better stations.”
He said OPG has “done a lot over the years to look at ways to reduce emissions. At the same time, we have tried to make sure that this plant operates safely and reliably, providing at sometimes up to 20 per cent of the electricity that’s used in Ontario.”
While Greenpeace works to promote clean, renewable energy, Earl said OPG is the largest producer of clean, renewable energy in the province through its hydroelectric generators in Niagara Falls. OPG is also nearing completion on the new hydro tunnel being built in Niagara Falls, which will create enough hydro electric energy to power a city twice the size of Niagara Falls.
He said OPG also pioneered wind and solar generation in Ontario, until they were asked by the provincial government a few years ago “to withdraw from the small green energy market place because there was concern that our size would inhibit entrepreneurs from entering that market.”
The Arctic Sunrise is scheduled to be at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto during the Labour Day weekend, where it will be open for tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ruzycki said he’d tried to organize a public tour of the ship in Port Colborne, but was told there was nowhere the Arctic Sunrise could safely tie up.
A year and a half ago, Ruzycki was serving as first mate aboard the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza, trying to stop a Japanese whaling fleet from killing minke whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, off the coast of Antarctica.
But working with Greenpeace so close to home is unusual. The international organization hasn’t been in the Great Lakes since 1995.
“It’s nice to be home,” he said. “I’ve been to more than 60 countries with Greenpeace, but to sail through the Welland Canal and actually get off in my hometown for a change.”
The message Greenpeace is here promoting, he added, is something he’s been eager to do.
“I’ve been hoping to raise awareness for renewable energy sources in the area,” he said.
When he learned, earlier this year, about plans to bring the ship into the Great Lakes to promote clean energy, “I thought, ‘Perfect.’”
© 2007 , Osprey Media.
Bah.
Paul Watson called Greenpeace the Avon ladies of environmentalism. They are too corporate and care more about humans than ecology as a whole(i.e. stopped fur and seal pup protests so as not to offend their human supremacist Inuit friends).
Go Greenpeace! While more conservative groups like Sierra Club compromise, Greenpeace gets out there in the face of things. It’s good to have them home, working for interests of the people of Canada.
Agreed, the Sahara Club has been compromized.
We can buy organic food and other things but how do we buy clean electricity?
As far as Greenpeace being the Avon ladies, we need everybody in on this - even the Avon Lady! I respect Paul Watson a lot, and support the Sea Shepherd Society. I would join him on the ocean if it weren’t for my extreme sea-sickness! Criticize - yes. Work with - yes. Keep the focus on the target - yes.
Whether GreenPeace is a minority or not remains to be seen, does it not?
At least they seem to put forth effort that captures the imagination.
What is most important is conviction to the degree that capitulation is almost not even an option. That shouldn’t take much given how dire it is going to be if…….
Peace,
Ken Hausle
I mean i don’t want to be a broken record here, but the “if” seems obvious….
Lets make Peace one step at a time….
my wife how i love you so…..
my wife………………….
…pamela my map………….
hey you on the “blogs” lets do more than get on the logs…..
log your view, be heard, be true……
speak out now for time is on the move…
**********************
Peace,
Ken Hausle
Hmmm, my first thought? Eco-terrorism. But of course, burning 1000’s of tons of dirty, filthy coal to produce electricty is also eco-terrorism.
HMMMMM! I see we have a commenter that states he wouldn’t shed a tear if anyone from Greenpeace were to die in doing things like halting this ship of coal.
I guess this person doesn’t realize that Greenpeace continues to shed boundless tears for all those who have and will later die because of air polution.Oh and how about many generations later with all this nucleear waste and no long term solution to store it?
And them seal pups? What is the latest excuse foor killing them. Oh to give Canadas fishermen a good pay day. Well, if Canada and the world would have taken out fish like there was no tomorrow. or if we wouldn’t have used the ocean like an open pit garbage dump. There would be plenty of fish for seals and man.
Do I expect that all off a sudden this contributer will see the light? No way!
Then do I expect that Greenpeace personal will die trying to protectthe Earth even for their desenters Hell Yes!
What a shame that I can only pat Greenpeace on the back here instead of being with them.
Someone wrote Ecoterrorism here probably in fun, but Eco terrorism has been happening since humans started using more then the needed on this Earth. I guess we wouldn’t have eough jails for all of us.
And who would be the jailers? Certainly not the humans that support Greenpeace and other groups like them.
You know it is sad but funny. I can see probably the generation just born munching on Soylent Green and thinking nothing about it.
I believe the DODO species was killed off by man. Now it is coming to man killing of himself.
Well what do you expect. There is little else for man to kill.
“Eco-terrorism,” Gracie?
What the hell is THAT??? Very cute catch-phrase.
I can recall when a “terrorist” was someone who very specifically targeted innocent people (non-combatants) with acts of violence marked by exceptional brutality or cruelty in order to coerce a political end — usually putting themselves in power. By definition, strikes against clearly legitimate military targets, no matter of what nature, weren’t “terrorist.”
Unless you’re willing to call the rebels of the American Revolution terrorists, too. And the Resistance in WWII.
So let me get this straight. Environmental pollution directly or indirectly causes staggering numbers of illnesses and deaths, human and otherwise. But it’s the people who are willing to risk their own lives — while not attempting to harm anyone else– in order to STOP the destruction of life on the planet as we know it —THOSE guys are the “terrorists?????”
When you adopt somebody else’s language and let them frame the meaning, you’re letting them do your thinking for you.
Bad move.
Liberty & Justice,
sj
www.spartacusjones.com
How many of you labeling Greenpeace as “eco-terrorists” have the guts to scale the 100 foot side of a freighter, on choppy water, while it’s under way, or chain yourself to the rudder, knowing the absolute best outcome possible is to just “get arrested”?
That takes an almost super-human capacity to look beyond oneself, and it’s the fundamental ingredient that’s required to effect change. Courage and conviction and pinpoint accuracy in target selection. For that, GP gets kudos.
Not only did GP correctly target the problem (coal-fired power gen plants are the biggest point-source of CO2), they staged an excellent PR coup, by getting those images of NO NUKES, NO COAL into every regional newspaper.
No one said it, but I think the ship operators and the local police all handled the situation extremely well. No one on the “establishment” side lost their head and did anything stupid, even though they abhorred the GP actions. Good on them.
Next GP needs to spend some time doing work to publicize the alternatives to coal. They should write “ALGAE2OIL” on the side of the Exxon Valdez, or the Condolezza next time it’s in town.
Rather than turning environmentalism into another brainless and idiotic extreme sport, this group of twenty-somethings would be much more effective earning law degrees or running for office and making changes through legislative means.
Or maybe they could become journalists who put law makers on the spot by asking hard hitting questions in a public forum.
Maybe they could even express their view creatively through film making or music and give their fans a call to action.
Intentionally risking their lives for their cause only turns them into irrational radicals and beefs up their arrest records, destroying any credibility they may have needed to make a difference in the future.
What these kids did is counterproductive.
Way to go Greenpeace and especially the young folks from Toronto. It is impowering to see folks protesting the source of their own electricity rather than the damns, nukes and fossil burners that illuminate other peoples’ nights.
My first protest at age 20 was the G7 in Toronto, 1988. Thanks for the inspiration and reminding me that Greenpeace and Toronto activists are still kicking corporate greedhead butt.
Signmaker I don’t shed a single tear when crapatalist supporters who endorse environmental destruction and the suffering of the downtrodden die painfully in an auto accident. How do you like them apples?
jgwether Yeah they should become lawyers and petition the Bush administration and Larry Craig to stop coal mining and coal fired plants, that will be real effective, of course the system isn’t hopelessly broken, how could I have forgotten. And people wonder why so many have zero confidence in Dimocraps and other hacks who wasn’t to get comfortable and rich making tiny incremental changes within the system while our society goes down like the Titanic.
Take a look at the Appalachian mountain top removal W.Va. (that Bush just expanded) to get an idea of the destruction that is done prior to the transporting of coal.I gotta tell ya ,I personally can’t see how anyone of sound mind can condemn any effort to stop the the systematic destruction of the planet.
I’ve been wondering how many KWT per year could be conserved if dusk to dawn lights , advertizing illumintion and accent lighting were extingished?
I prefer the small corner of my property that isn’t violated by the insecuity of those who are affraid in the dark while there sleeping or away from there homes.
Kudos Greenpeace
The mercury contamination from burning coal is a ticking-timebomb. Read up on the effects of mercury in the human body or talk to someone that has been poisoned by mercury. And, if you have any of that stuff in mouth get it removed. Any teeth you have removed will be a biohazard, same the whales that beach themselves in the arctic and have to be disposed of as toxic waste.
Greenpeace you have my never ending support and gratitude.
Dangerous, foolish, outrageous, and judging by the response, perfectly effective. It also worked because Canada is mostly open and peaceful. The shipping operator and crew should also be commended for responding appropriately. By “letting it play out” we may see some interesting legal proceeedings. Way to go Greenpeace.
Way to go Emily, Charlie and Dominique
“No nukes. No coal. Clean energy now,” lead the way!
mrraven5000 Agreed, the system is flawed, but it’s the system that we have to work within. What GP did here only adds fuel to the fire of anti-environmentalism. How and why do you think the term “eco-terrorism” was coined?
these greenpeace guys are great. they’ve come to visit us here in the tongass forest alaska a couple of times. by no means are they eco-terrorist. i think they are best described as gorilla theatre. yet they never forget that they were victims of a terrorist act when their ship, rainbow warrior, was blown up in new zealand by french agents in 1985, killing phtographer fernando pereira. it is the courage of conviction that keeps them going.
double rainbows to all
Jgwether
We have polluted the oceans with mercury, that is a rather large concentration of a toxin. Read the warning labels on tuna fish. The reason you cannot eat tuna more than once a month (not at all it you are pregnant) is because Mercury is a neurotoxin amoung other things. (a lot of other things)
One of the ways we have put all this mercury in our environment, so that we consume it daily is from burning coal.
Who is the eco-terrorist is this story?
Fools! They are lucky the Captain didn’t order 40 turns of the propeller!
Tell me, did they use eco-friendly paint so the crew doesn’t put harmful chemicals in the lake when they erase this graffitti? Did they use clean burning fuel to power their Zodiacs? If Coal and Nuke Power is so nasty, then maybe Greenpeace should put it’s collective minds to inventing the Perfect Energy instead of interfering with the legitimate commerce of a ship and crew. Then people like me would take them seriously. Farting cows put more gas in the air than any coal-fired plant. Are we to go back to the Jurassic Era?
Just to clarify,
I agree with the cause, not with the tactics.
Hey Scot, let’s start a group that goes around in row boats following GP and we could write “Clean Energy & Paint Now” using non-toxic crayola crayons on the side of those gas guzzling paint spewing GP zodiacs (great point buddy;)
Seriously though we all need to do our part. Bless these kids for trying but if they all would have died from their foolish tactics would it make any difference?
Every act of protest has some effect. Every statement questioning business as usual is necessary. Otherwise just get in line with Scot…”everbody now, ein, zwei, drei…”
Anyhow would have been more appropriate to refernece the Pennsylvanian or the Missisipian periods, the seventy MILLION year era when all the carbon in that coal was sequestered. Never thought a time machine would look like a dragline.
Sorry, Scot but burning coal is the largest contributor to global warming, not bovine emitted methane. Greenpeace is serving the world well by putting their lives and freedom on the line and attacking the biggest threat to mankind–coal.
Even if coal were not the worst offender, why not applaud Greenpeace for what they ARE doing instead of wishing the impossible task of “Perfect Energy” upon them? Why not just come out and say that what you are a big fan of burning coal instead of pointing out confabulated faults of Greenpeace?