Understand why new Rainbow Warrior will be extra-green

Reports that Greenpeace is expanding its fleet by building a new, ultra-green Rainbow Warrior may make us wonder exactly what's so green about this new ship?

The answers include that the Rainbow Warrior III will be a vessel under sail. As well as dual electric and diesel engines, the ship will use sail, making the engines necessary only around 10% of the time.

This is definitely a case of Greenpeace putting principles into practice: spokespeople said that the decision to have the new vessel built was made because a conversion would not be as effective. Analysis also showed that by far, the greatest environmental impact of the vessel would occur during its use, rather than through its development or disassembly at the end of its life.

As well as using its fleet to take action against whaling, Greenpeace ships are, or have been, used to:

• prevent dumping oil installations
• chasing private vessels fishing for rare patagonian toothfish
• attempting to prevent missile tests
• bringing public attention to nuclear missile, toxic chemical production and dumping, climate change, and other marine issues

Have you ever used the Greenpeace onboard webcams to see what their ships are up to?