one page: brisbane

esperanza
jane etherton
On Saturday the 7th and Sunday 8th of December 2013, the
Greenpeace ship Esperanza was docked in Brisbane on its
way to survey the Great Barrier Reef. While here, the crew
opened the ship to the public to show them what life is like on
board and to explain the important work that they do. On the
Saturday I had the opportunity to take part in this experience.
From the first moment I arrived at the docks people were keen
to talk and help us out with any information or questions that
we had. All volunteers, this was a very friendly team.
The crew of the ship are mostly volunteers, as with all
Greenpeace ships, and were happy to show us around and
share the stories of how they came to be working on the ship.
Launched in February 2002, the Esperanza is the largest and
most recent addition to the Greenpeace fleet. The Esperanza
– Spanish for ‘hope’ – is the first Greenpeace ship to be named
by visitors to the Greenpeace website.
Originally commissioned by the Russian government for heavy
ice class and speed, the Esperanza is one of 14 ships built
in Stocznia Polnocna construction yard in Gdansk, Poland,
between 1983 and 1987. The Esperanza was intended to be
used by the Russian Navy as a fire-fighting ship in Murmansk.
At 72 metres, and with a top speed of 16 knots, the ship is
ideal for fast and long-range work. In relation to the work
the Esperanza does for Greenpeace the ship’s ice class status
means it can work in Polar Regions, as well as more tropical
areas.
The Esperanza is a working ship, and because of this, as visitors
we were only allowed into a few select areas, supervised by a
guide. In each of these areas we met a crewmember who told
us about their role on board and some of the work that the
Esperanza has done in the past. Our guide Miriam first took
us to the lower deck (poop deck) where we were told about
the history of the Esperanza and had our questions answered
about Greenpeace and the history of Greenpeace ships—the
best known, of course, being the Rainbow Warrior (the current
Warrior is the third in succession)—and the development of
the work that the ships and their crews do.
Next we went upstairs where we met Jane, and were shown
a short video about the current Greenpeace campaign to save
the Great Barrier Reef from dredging and drilling, the current
campaign for the Esperanza. Lastly we went up another level,
past life rafts and buoys to the main control cabin and met
the third mate, who told us about the controls and how to get
involved working or volunteering on a Greenpeace ship.
It was a fun and informative day out and I recommend taking
an opportunity like this next time one of these ships is in the
area, particularly if you have an interest in environmental
campaigns or ship work. This may be a great way to get to
work on one of these ships and see the world while helping
to protect it.
If you would like more information or to volunteer with
Greenpeace, you can look up the campaigns and local offices
on the Greenpeace website. s
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