Greenpeace activists occupy ship in Canaries

Four Greenpeace activists were occupying a refrigerated ship in the Canary Islands today, pressuring the Spanish government to seize what the environmental group says is a cargo of illegally transported fish.

Three activists climbed aboard the Panamanian-flagged Binar 4 before dawn yesterday, and under cover of darkness four others replaced them early today, said Sebastian Losada, a Greenpeace representative at the scene of the protest in Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria.

One Greenpeace activist who was among the first group was arrested, he said.

The activists are perched atop one of the Binar’s masts and one of its tall cranes, he added.

The refrigerated ship is carrying around 200 tons of sea bass and other species caught by other vessels in waters off Guinea in west Africa.

Losada said the catch was transferred illegally on to the Binar because Guinea’s laws require that a government official witness such operations – among other things to be sure the smaller fishing boats have licences – and in this case that did not happen.

Spain would not allow the ship to unload its cargo until it hears from Guinea’s government as to whether the Binar acted legally, said Juan Carlos Martin Fragueiro, a government fisheries official in Gran Canaria.

The Greenpeace occupation of the ship has been peaceful except for an incident early today in which a crew member of the Binar 4 turned a high-pressure water hose on the activists, Losada said.