Greenpeace continues protest against Dhamra port

accuses Environmental Ministry of double standards

                                pic: Greenpeace

Environmental group Greenpeace has alleged that the Ministry of Environment and Forests is displaying double standards in Orissa: although it has stymied Vedanta’s mining activities in Niyamgiri in eastern Orissa, the Ministry is doing nothing to safeguard sensitive ecological areas against the joint Tata Steel/Larsen and Toubro Dhamra port project in the same state.

Greenpeace has been campaigning against the Dhamra project for more than five years now. The port is scheduled to begin operations at the end of the year, according to the Tatas. Greenpeace activist Ashish Fernandes now says, “The Government is selectively applying forest and environmental laws to corporations.”

Greenpeace is fighting the project because it says that the port is too close to the breeding ground of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, and another similar project is home to the saltwater crocodiles. In any case, says Greenpeace, the entire project is situated in ecologically sensitive wildlife areas and should be stopped. It says that government released documents clearly show that the port is in violation of the Forest Conservation act; it says it has documents from the Orissa authorities to prove this, quoting a report by Mr JK Tewari of the Environmental Ministry’s eastern office as saying, "It is clear that Dhamra Port project site was never developed as a Port and is a part of the protected forest under the Kanika Protected Forest [Orissa]."

A 2009 Supreme Court ruling had referred the entire matter to a committee, which agreed with the Government’s stand that no laws had been violated. The government had submitted to the Supreme Court an affidavit saying that the project is not built on forest land, something that Greenpeace aggressively disputes.

The website of the Dhamra Port claims that the port area is “30 kms away from nesting area by sea and 15 kms as the crow flies”, and that findings show that it is sufficiently away from the limits of both the Gahirmatha Sanctuary and National Marine Sanctuary. Critics say that Greenpeace wants to compare the Vedanta mining episode with the Dhamra project in order to give fresh impetus to their protests. It also hopes to get Environmental Minister Jairam Ramesh to react to the allegations.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the port is nearly complete. Nevertheless, Greenpeace hopes that the Environmental Ministry will stall the port development now. "For years, we have had this 'fait accompli' situation in which big companies would simply create huge constructions in violation of environmental laws and later pay a small penalty to regularise it. Vedanta was the first case where the minister broke with this tradition. But we are not sure why the same yardstick is not being used against the Dhamra project. If you can shut down Vedanta project for building without getting forest clearance, you should be able to punish Dhamra as well," says Fernandes.

"It is a matter of fairness, if you are applying one law for Vedanta, you must apply the same to other groups also."
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Greenpeace to start build of $23 million dollar flagship

Rainbow Warrior III will be one of the greenest ships afloat

Work will start soon on Greenpeace International’s new flagship ‘Rainbow Warrior III’. The sailing ship, which will be launched in time for the environmental organisation’s 40th anniversary in 2011, will include cutting edge green technology and facilities to help the organisation fight catastrophic climate change. This is the first time in the history of Greenpeace that a purpose built high seas ship will be commissioned; earlier vessels were all second hand and converted.





To be constructed at German and Polish shipyards, the Rainbow Warrior III will be one of the biggest yachts to have been commissioned in the last decade. It will have a staggering 1,300 sq metres of sail flying on two A frame masts, its own helipad and satellite video systems that will enable activists to stream videos from anywhere on earth. With numerous inflatable craft at their disposal, the crew of 30 will have an easier time going about their efforts than they had onboard the earlier flagships that were, basically, converted fishing boats.




The ‘Rainbow Warrior III’ will have diesel engines in addition to sails, but will use them for less than 10% of the time at sea. This is in line with the organisation’s mission to reduce greenhouse emissions. Says Greenpeace spokesman Ulrich von Eitzen, "We have converted ships for 30 years and it's time we practised what we preach. Upgrading the existing ship was not technically or financially feasible and converting a second hand ship would compromise our campaigning and energy conservation needs. The aim is to drastically reduce emissions and to burn far less fuel, and so its main propulsion will be by wind."




Eitzen’s statements assume significance in view of two recent developments: the spotlight on fossil fuel emissions by commercial ships in Copenhagen and criticism of Greenpeace by other environmental groups that it was holding back from addressing industry emissions because of its own fossil fuelled fleet.




The first Rainbow Warrior was sunk by the French government secret service in 1986 in New Zealand. Since then, the Greenpeace fleet has grown to six ships that operate across the world. Many of the crews are volunteers, facing up to whalers, illegal fishing boats and protesting nuclear testing. The organisation has three million supporters worldwide, and so raising funds for the Rainbow Warrior III should not be a problem. Other environmental groups like the Sea Shepherd and Oceana are also planning to increase their fleets; Ady Gil, a Sea Shepherd trimaran, sank recently after a collision with a Japanese whaler in Antarctica.




Officials at Greenpeace are understandably excited about the Rainbow Warrior III’s green technology. The A frame design of the mast and the sail positions have been optimised for efficiency and the shape of the hull has been designed for maximum fuel conservation. Heat created by the generators will be reused to heat water on board and for engine preheating.


Its predecessor, the Rainbow Warrior II, is 52 years old and will be retired after twenty years of environmental campaigning. The new ship has been designed by a company in Amsterdam, Netherlands and will be primarily built by Fassmer, Bremen, Germany.
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