Hope!

In Aberdeen harbour just now is this amazing ship - the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza. It was launched by Greenpeace in February 2002 and is the largest vessel in their fleet. The ship started life as a fire-fighting vessel ordered by the Russian government in the 1980s from a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland. Heavy ice class and speed were one of the requirements. It was based in Murmansk.

Lack of funds saw the ship laid up for some years in the late 80s,then sold a couple of times, finally working in Norway as a supply vessel.

At 72 metres in length, and a top speed of 16 knots, the ship is ideal for fast and long range work. The ship's ice class status means it can also work in polar regions. This is useful for Greenpeace just now as they are demonstrating against the search for oil in the Davis Straits and the havoc this will cause to the environment. Further details and information can be found at www.greenpeace.org
As a supporter for many years it was brilliant to see one of the ships in reality!