2 Canadian protestors on Greenpeace ship arrested by Russian Coast Guard

[CougarKing]

From SUN News:

Greenpeace says two Canadians are among 25 crew members of the its ship Arctic Sunrise arrested and detained by the Russian coast guard after they protested Gazprom's Arctic oil drilling operations.

At the time of the boarding, Greenpeace said the Arctic Sunrise was circling Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya platform at the three nautical mile limit, inside international waters.

"Co-ordinates confirm that the ship was inside of Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), making this an illegal boarding by the Russian Coast Guard," a release from Greepeace said.

Greenpeace International activists locked inside the radio room reported seeing other activists on their knees with guns pointed at them.

Paul Ruzycki, of Port Colborne, ON, is chief mate on the 49-metre icebreaker-class ship in the Pechora Sea, about 113 km off the north coast of Russia.

He told QMI Agency on Wednesday the ships' protests had raised the ire of the Russians.

(...)

 

[Teflon]

Good to see the Russians doing us a favour - With any luck they will decide to keep them

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Hope they try them and dump 'em in Siberia for 10 years.

They trespassed and broke the law.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Hope they try them and dump 'em in Siberia for 10 years.

They trespassed and broke the law.

Lord knows I am not a fan of Greenpeace, but actually, Recceguy, they did NOT trespass and were in a perfectly legitimate location as far as maritime law is concerned. The act by the Russian Coastguard is a clear violation of this law.

The EEZ's around a country remains international waters and no country has the right to remove any vessel from these waters, which can be be freely accessed by all. The EEZ's only provide for the coastal nation's exclusive right to regulate economic activity occurring in these waters - not to extend its laws over the territory, which remains limited to territorial waters (12 Nautical Miles). According to the story, they were about 60 NM from the Russian coast, so in the EEZ, BUT in international waters.

Funny enough, the protection of Canada's maritime interests in International waters, which includes the protection of Canadian merchant seaman, befalls the RCN.  Where are the AOPS !!!!!! - just kidding.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Well, if I read the article right, they attempted to board the rig from inflatables and got chased off.

That would be no different than a pirate trying to board another ship without permission, in my mind.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Well, if I read the article right, they attempted to board the rig from inflatables and got chased off.

That would be no different than a pirate trying to board another ship without permission, in my mind.

Or, if the rig is owned by a company, folks trying to get into a refinery uninvited.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Or, if the rig is owned by a company, folks trying to get into a refinery uninvited.

Bingo.

Both serious and potentially dangerous actions that would warrant the intervention of the authorities.

EEZ's or not.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Bingo.

Both serious and potentially dangerous actions that would warrant the intervention of the authorities.

EEZ's or not.

Not to mention shareholders wanting some protection of the asset.

 

[CougarKing]

From the RT website:

A handout photo taken by Greenpeace on September 18, 2013, shows Greenpeace activists boarding Gazprom's 'Prirazlomnaya' Arctic oil platform somewhere off Russia north-eastern coast in the Pechora Sea.

For a bunch of tree huggers, these Greenpeace protestors sure are well equipped, having cruiser suits, helmets and RHIBs similar to those we used in the CCG Auxiliary. This- from an organization who constantly sends naive young people with clipboards out on the streets of Toronto or Vancouver to solicit funds for their cause...  :

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

I wish it was that simple - oh! and shareholders or owners don't come into the equation, unfortunately.

First of all, the mere act of coming onboard someone else's ship without permission does not constitute piracy. There is the little matter of use of force with intent to deprive the owner of his/her property or to deprive them of their lives. This was clearly not present here. If it had been piracy, the nation under whose flag the vessel or structure is operated (here, Russia) would have the right to try the accused as such (which is why, for instance, when we apprehend pirates along the coast of Somalia as a result of an attack on a merchant, we have to find if the state of the merchant ship flag wants to prosecute and only if so, turn the captives over to them - otherwise, we have to return the pirates to their ship - minus their weapons of course).

As this is not piracy, the Russians had no right to board the Arctic Sunrise on the high seas (which is where it was all the time, having never entered Russian territorial waters) without their permission or with the permission of the state under which flag it sailed - in this case Norway. The boats that entered into the safety zone (the exclusion zone around the platform - which is still international waters) were legitimate targets of Russia to remove them from the zone and the ones who made it unto the platform (and only them) were legitimate criminal subject to arrest at the platform but not on Norwegian territory (the Arctic Sunrise) but in all cases, they could only be arrested to be returned to Norway for prosecution under its laws.

These things are all pretty complex areas of international law - but that is the nature of the application of laws and force on the high seas. These things do not follow or conform to the rules we are used to on land, where borders determine the applicable laws and police powers.

 

[The Bread Guy]

For a bunch of tree huggers, these Greenpeace protestors sure are well equipped, having cruiser suits, helmets and RHIBs similar to those we used in the CCG Auxiliary. This- from an organization who constantly sends naive young people with clipboards out on the streets of Toronto or Vancouver to solicit funds for their cause...  :

It would be unwise to underestimate the ingenuity of these folks.  Years ago, they rented a cube van and blocked a railway track coming out of a pulp mill in northern Ontario to protest the use of chlorine in the process.  Two of them figured out a way to crawl under the van, run their hands through a pipe they ran over the drive train and handcuff themselves together, giving the senior firefighter on scene (with 30+ years experience at that point) "the toughest puzzle I've ever had to solve" to get them out. 

And THAT'S the trouble they'd go to for a paper mill in northern Ontario - imagine bigger targets.

 

[The Bread Guy]

.... the mere act of coming onboard someone else's ship without permission does not constitute piracy. There is the little matter of use of force with intent to deprive the owner of his/her property or to deprive them of their lives. This was clearly not present here ....

How about depriving the owner the use of his/her property?  This from the Greenpeace Info-machine (highlight mine):

.... Greenpeace International activist Sini Saarela, 31, is currently on the platform. She said:

“This rusty oil platform is an Arctic disaster waiting to happen. We’re hundreds of miles away from emergency response vessels or independent observers, but right next to a pristine Arctic environment that’s home to polar bears, walruses and rare seabirds.”

“Last year we blocked this platform for five days and we’re back to stop Gazprom for good. This is an era defining battle - do we allow vast companies to drill for more of the oil that’s melting the Arctic and wrecking our climate, or do we draw a line in the ice and say ‘enough’?” ....

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Sounds like a legitimate threat of violence to me.

Along with trespassing.

Next time instead of dicking around with all this maritime hoodoo sovereignty crap, they should just shoot them off the wall and let them "sleep wid da fishis"

Cause you can always depend on Greenpeace to adhere to Maritime law :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr55mQI2la8

But every once in a while, they run into (literally) some one that won't take their shit.  ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anXPPTk-jY8

Batman's gonna be pissed when he gets his boat back :rofl:

 

[Fishbone Jones]

It's too bad this wasn't part of the 'The Air Force blew up this tiny ‘pirate boat’ with a 2,000-pound smart bomb' thread ;D

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

So now they have been charged with "piracy" in Russia.

We'll see how that turns out in the application of the legal criteria. Though, this being Russia and a trial in defense of the interest of friends of the powers that be, a fair trial is out of the question. I am afraid they are about to be sent to have a little retreat with P*ssy Riot at their current "camp".

 

[GAP]

So now they have been charged with "piracy" in Russia.

We'll see how that turns out in the application of the legal criteria. Though, this being Russia and a trial in defense of the interest of friends of the powers that be, a fair trial is out of the question. I am afraid they are about to be sent to have a little retreat with P*ssy Riot at their current "camp".

Proof again that actions have consequences.......gulag time will refocus their priorities....

 

[Fishbone Jones]

So now they have been charged with "piracy" in Russia.

Wow. Imagine that.

 

[Good2Golf]

Green peace should replace their media spokesperson...the woman on CTV Newsnet was the least convincing person I've ever heard try to convince people that boarding a private vessel without permission was not only acceptable, but a moral responsibility.  Lots of UMMMs and UHHHs, when asked what they did was legal...should have been a well-rehearsed, "Absolutely! Here's why....."

While 'piracy' may be a legal stretch according to international maritime law (unless the intent was to actually seize control of the rig...which does not appear to be the case), there still remains the issue that the owner of the rig did not give the demonstrators permission to board. Flag of registration (as it relates to endorsement of action by policing forces to assist in controlling a vessel against unauthorized action) notwithstanding, if the master of a vessel does not give permission of a non-official/non-authority to board the vessel, that's it...trespassing at the least.

As others have said, actions result in counter-actions, the basis of which are apparently open to interpretation by any number of organizations.  Seems like Norwegian registration notwithstanding, the Russians are interpreting the actions as attempted piracy.  Perhaps some folks are now rethinking their assumption that self-believed moral supremacy will cause all others to yield and bow in abeyance.  Good luck with that...

 

[Kirkhill]

I thought the whole point of a vessel carrying a flag on the high seas was that it was declaring which sovereign law it followed. 

So if the vessel sported a Stew Pot Over Embers, and declared according to national custom that trespassers would be eaten then that might be an advisum to potential stowaways that they consider their options carefully.

The fact that in the real world nobody is currently declaring judicial cannibalism as a national policy, due to queasy stomachs and a desire to be seen as civilized, is neither here nor there.

 

[Navy_Pete]

This seems like a really bad idea on Greenpeace's part; will try and find the article, but a few years ago the russian navy captured some pirates off Somalia, dragged their boat a few hundred meters away, then blew it up quoting some maritime treaty from the 1400s that was never repealed.

But really, what did they expect to happen?  I'm guessing this is a publicity stunt dreamed up by some higher up using the folks on the ground as pawns.  They are lucky no one got hurt.