DESTRUCTION OF PRIMARY FORESTS: GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS BLOCK CANADIAN TIMBER SHIP

7 April 1998

Bremerhaven, Germany - Greenpeace activists severely hampered the progress of the Canadian timber freighter "Saga Wind" while it was entering the port of Brake near Bremerhaven on Tuesday to protest the destruction of the ancient rainforests in Canada.

The ship was carrying about 2.000 tons of pulp from Canadian ancient rainforests to be sold to German buyers. Thirty activists using 8 inflatables attempted to board the 200-metre ship by using grapnels to climb the side of ship.

The activists wrote "No Trade with Ancient Forests" on the side of the ship and were sprayed with water cannons. Three activists managed to climb up the side of the ship for several metres before the ship's crew cut their climbing-ropes despite their proximity to the the ship's propellers. The activists fell into the water but were picked up by an escort vessel. Finally, after the ship had moored, six activists succeeded to climb up the 20 metre high cargo-bridge and to unroll a banner reading: "Canadian Ancient Forest on Board - Stop the Trade".

Greenpeace Forest campaigner Thomas Henningsen said: "With our protest we want to point to the destruction of the last ancient rainforests in Canada. As long as timber from these forests produces a profit, the destruction of these last rainforests will continue. We call upon every buyer to cancel all contracts with companies which are logging within the Great Bear Rainforest."

The pulp on board the "Saga Wind" comes mainly from Western Forest Products (Doman is the parent company), a company which is clear-cutting the rainforests on the west coast of Canada. WFP, last week began to blast a logging road into the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the last untouched rainforests in the northern hemisphere.

The valleys of the Great Bear Rainforest are a unique habitat for animals like grizzly bears, wolves, salmon and sea-eagles. They are also the home of indigenous peoples such as the Nuxalk-Indians. Qwatsinas, a Nuxalk-chief, took part in the action in Bremerhaven to protest against the destruction of his people's habitat. "This ship carries our forest. With the forest our way of life disappears, which is a thousand years old and inseparable from the forest's richness", the chief said.

The Greenpeace activists in Bremerhaven also declared their solidarity with Patricia Fromm. The 34-year old Greenpeace-member was sentenced to three week's imprisonment in Vancouver last weekend for protesting in Canada.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
GREENPEACE GERMANY ON 49-40-30618351