.
The position of the Pacific Pintail at 2300 GMT was 55 degrees and 58 minutes south and 65 degrees and 11 minutes west, on a distance of some 20 miles east of the Chilean Exclusive Economic Zone. We are sailing at a course of 240 degrees at a speed of 4 knots. We could thus reach the Chilean EEZ in approximately 5 hours, ie. Monday morning at 0400 GMT.
Today the Chilean Navy issued a statement to the Pacific Pintail in a radio communication, transcribed below (1).
Later today at 2242 GMT, the Chilean Navy informed Greenpeace that they had sent the following telex message to the Pacific Pintail by Chile's General Director for the Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine. The text is also below (2).
The Chilean Government has taken a very strong position on the looming passage of the Pintail into its waters. Chile's Government has banned the shipment from all its territorial and jurisdictional waters and has entrusted the Navy with its enforcement. For more information please contact Juan Carlos Cardenas at Greenpeace Chile (++56-2-737 8140) or Damon Moglen (++54-9-012-4550).
The weather around Cape Horn continues to worsen with waves of 10 meters coming over the Solo's side and winds gusting off the bow. It's much as it was when we left France with the crew having to strap down everything on board, including themselves come bed time. Cape Horn is renowned for its bad weather, drift ice and heave seas. The further south we and the Pintail go, the worse the weather will be. The captain of the Pintail is knowingly acting irresponsibly by sailing this far south. The Pintail may cross into the Antarctica Treat Area below 60 degrees south, in flagrant denial of international agrement to preserve the pristine continent from environmental threats.
For additional information on the Pacific Pintail's voyage or it's cargo of plutonium waste is required, please contact Bas Bruyne on the Solo (phone: ++871-1301166--warning $10 per minute), or Karen Richardson at Greenpeace UK (phone: ++44-171-226-3151). Photo, video or other media requests to Blair Palese or Mark Warford at Greenpeace Communications (phone: ++44-171-833-0600).
Media and others interested in tracking the shipment's route daily should access Greenpeace World Wide Web site at: HTTP://WWW.greenpeace.org/
Best regards and No Nukes!
Ulf Birgander (Captain)
Bas Bruyne (Campaigner)
=============
ENCLOSURE 1
=============
--start transcript Chilean Navy Patrol/Pacific Pintail 19 March 1995 1830GMT-
CN = Chilean Navy patrol
PP = Pacific Pintail
(CN calls Pacific Pintail)
CN: Pacific Pintail, this is Chilean Navy Patrol, over
I presume that I'm speaking with the Captain, over
PP: You are speaking to the captain, sir, good afternoon;
CN: Good afternoon sir, this is Chilean Navy Patrol; I would
like to notify you that for resolution of the Chilean Navy, the
Chilean Government to the Chilean Navy, you are not allowed to
sail into our Exclusive Economic Zone, over;
PP: Yes sir, this is Pacific Pintail, I have statement to read
you as follows: My passage plan does not transit the territorial
seas of Chile. As my vessel is engaged in lawful trade no foreign
state has a lawful right to interfere with my navigation on the
high seas I repeat I do not intend to pass through your country's
territorial seas. If you wish any further information please
state the nature of your inquiry and I will provide you with any
relevant information that I am able to, otherwise I will seek my
owners instructions and revert. If necessary my owners will refer
the matter to the British Government, over;
CN: I understood you do not go to sail through our sea
territory. But the resolution of the Chilean Government is that
you are not allowed to sail through our Exclusive Economic Zone.
The resolution of the Chilean Government, Chilean Navy is number
12600.67 of 16 March 1995, over;
PP: Yes, but I repeat we are not passing through your
territorial seas we are on the high seas over;
CN: Yes roger I understood....thank you very much, have a good
trip
PP: OK we are monitoring Channel 16, Good Afternoon Sir
--- BREAK OF 5 MINUTES--
CN: (Calls Pacific Pintail on Channel 16)
PP: Chilean Navy Patrol, this is Pacific Pintail
CN: Channel 12
PP: Chancel 12
CN: Pacific Pintail this Chilean Navy Patrol, over
PP: This is the Pacific Pintail, go ahead please;
CN: I would like to notify you that if you keep this course and
speed you're going to go inside of our sea territory, over;
PP: Yes sir, I would like to repeat that I do not intend to pass
through your country's territorial seas....
CN: Understood...unintelligible).. that you are going to change
your course later, over;
PP: ...otherwise I will have to seek my owners instructions and
revert. If necessary it will have to be referred to the British
Government, over;
CN: Sir, I understood, but the thing is if you keep this course
you are going to go inside of our territory the question is if
you are going to change your course, your heading, over;
PP: My present course will keep me out side your territorial
waters, we will pass 15 miles inside Diego Ramirez and 15 miles
from the land-mass, the coast line therefore we are outside
territorial waters and we are carrying out a lawful trade, over;
CN: Sir, I understood, but one thing is that you are not
allowed to sail through our Exclusive Economic Zone, do you
understand?
PP: Yes sir, I understand but your economic zone as you know
every ship has the right of free passage and we are engaged in
freedom,free trade free trade and a legal trade and therefore we
are allowed free passage through an Economic Zone, over;
CN: Roger, but the Chilean Government have a resolution about
that you can not sail through our Economic Zone, over;
PP: Yes sir, well this maybe the case but these are my
instructions and I will have to refer the matter to my owners,
and possibly then to the British Government this is a very safe
ship as you know we have very bad weather and we are being very
careful with our passage safe navigation, and we feel that you
have no problem for your safety side of it, otherwise I will have
to revert with further information, over
CN: Yes, I understood, very clear, listen, but our resolution
from the Chilean Government said that you must stay 200 miles far
away from Diego Ramirez, do you understand?
PP: This is Pacific Pintail, I would like to repeat that we
will not transit your territorial seas we will not be within 12
miles of your coast line, and therefore we have freedom of
passage on the high seas, over;
CN: Yes, I would like to explain that our Economic Zone is not
high sea, is not high sea, it is our Economic Zone, and you are
not allowed to sail through this zone, over;
PP: This is Pacific Pintail, I would like to dispute that, the
territorial waters are 12 miles from your coast line and on
either Diego Ramirez or the main land therefore anything outside
that which will be, will be high seas, the EEZ has nothing to do
with high seas. Any vessel on the high seas according to the
various conventions of the Safety at Seas, and the agreements of
the Law of the Sea allows us freedom of passage, over;
CN: Ok, that is very clear about that, only 12 mile is the
territory seas. But the Economic Zone is 200 miles and is not
high sea, is not high sea, is our Economic Zone and you are not
allowed ... you are not allowed to sail through our sea, over;
PP: Well at present we are in a very strong wind here, the wind
is gusting to 70 knots, that is 12 meters per second. I am not
in a position to alter course or argue. Can you tell me your
intentions, because my instructions are to carry on with a normal
route in the high seas which allows me freedom of passage,
freedom of passage, over;
CN: Yes, I would like you to change your intention. I would
like you to change your course to go outside of our 200 mile
economic zone, please;
PP: This is Pacific Pintail, at the moment the wind is gusting
to maybe over 13 to 14 meters per second. We are in no position
to alter course for safety reasons. Sir, I will have to revert,
over;
CN: OK, I understood, (unintelligible).. time, your ship, it
will be tracked for this authority for this ship and plane will
like you to change your course and go outside our economic zone,
please;
PP: I am sorry the wind is blowing very strong here, and I had
a job hearing that, such is the noise. We are in a very, very
strong wind-squall, could you repeat that last message please,
over;
CN: The message is: That our plane and ship is to keep going
to tracking you from this moment from this time because you don't
want to change your course, over;
PP: Yes sir, that is quite acceptable, thank you, we are a safe
ship and we want to carry on a free trade, which is a legal
trade. We do not mind at all, we welcome you to escort us and we
would like freedom of passage, over;
CN: OK, If you don't want to change your course. You are
intolerant to the international community. Cause we
(unintelligible) do is dissipation, over;
PP: Yes OK, I would like some information as to what you're
actions might be, over;
CN: Stand-by for one minute Pacific Pintail;
PP Standing-by
.
PP: At the moment we are on a safe course because we have 10
meter seas, 10 meter seas, here and I will revert, if you want
to contact us later I will tell you the message, over;
CN: Roger, have a good trip, channel 16
PP: We are going back to channel 16.
--ends transcript Chilean Navy/Pacific Pintail, 19 March 1995 1830GMT--
===============
ENCLOSURE 2
===============
TELEX FROM CHILEAN AUTHORITIES TO PACIFIC PINTAIL
--start text send as info to Greenpeace/Solo--
VALPARAISO CHIH MARCH 1995
FROM THE GENERAL DIRECTOR F THE MARITIME TERRITORY AND MERCHANT
MARINE TO MASTER M/V "PACIFIC PINTAIL"
INFO M/V SOLO (GREENPEACE)
TELEX : OP......074 1800 LT - 2200 UTC
TEXT:
=====
1.- WE ARE INFORMING YOU THAT THIS CHILEAN MARITIME AUTHORITY HAVE DECIDED, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL MARITIME LEGISLATION, TO FORBID THE "THE PACIFIC PINTAIL" CROSSING, STAYING AND TRANSIT THROUGH THE CHILEAN TERRITORIAL WATERS AND CHILEAN EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE.
2.- CONSEQUENTLY, WE REQUEST THAT YOU CROSS THE DRAKE PASSAGE, AND NAVIGATE BEYOND THE DIEGO RAMIREZ ISLANDS, IE. BEYOND THE 200 MILES THESE ISLANDS ARE LOCATED: L:563100S G:0684300W
SINCERELY
--end text of telex send as info to Greenpeace/Solo--