MV ''Esperanza'' was a ship operated by
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
. Previous to being a Greenpeace ship it was a fire-fighting vessel owned by the
Soviet Navy, built in 1984. It was recommissioned in 2000 and relaunched in 2002 after being named ''Esperanza'' ('hope' in Spanish) by visitors to the Greenpeace website. It had undergone a major refit by Greenpeace to make it more environmentally friendly. A new
helicopter deck
A helicopter deck (or helo deck) is a helicopter pad on the deck of a ship, usually located on the stern and always clear of obstacles that would prove hazardous to a helicopter landing. In the United States Navy, it is commonly and properly ref ...
and boat cranes were also added. The ship was powered by two
Sulzer V12 V12 or V-12 may refer to:
Aircraft
* Mil V-12, a Soviet heavy lift helicopter
* Pilatus OV-12, a planned American military utility aircraft
* Rockwell XFV-12, an American experimental aircraft project
* Škoda-Kauba V12, a Czechoslovak experim ...
marine diesel engines.
The ship had a heavy
ice class
Ice class refers to a notation assigned by a classification society or a national authority to denote the additional level of strengthening as well as other arrangements that enable a ship to navigate through sea ice. Some ice classes also have r ...
,
giving it the ability to work in
polar region
The polar regions, also called the frigid geographical zone, zones or polar zones, of Earth are the regions of the planet that surround its geographical poles (the North Pole, North and South Poles), lying within the polar circles. These high l ...
s. It had a top speed of and an
overall length
The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads i ...
of . This made it the fastest and largest of the Greenpeace fleet.
Original painted in blue
livery
A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
, during December 2014 it called at Palumbo Malta Superyachts for repairs and a new livery, acquiring a green hull like other Greenpeace vessels.
''Esperanza'' has been involved in many world wide campaigns, protecting environment and wildlife. She was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 2022.
Video equipment aboard
Greenpeace added live webcams to the ''Esperanza'' in 2006. The webcams are positioned on the
bow of the ship, the
mast and the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
, they send a new image every minute to their Defending Our Oceans website and provide an archive of action.
In April 2006, the ''Esperanza'' was equipped with state-of-the-art underwater monitoring equipment, including a
remotely operated vehicle
A remotely operated underwater vehicle (technically ROUV or just ROV) is a tethered underwater mobile device, commonly called ''underwater robot''.
Definition
This meaning is different from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the ai ...
(ROV) which can shoot video down to a depth of , and a drop camera capable of reaching depths of .
Operational career
The ''Esperanza'' participated in fishery patrols with
Kiribati
Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),[Kiribati]
''The Wor ...
and the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
in 2006.
[ In January 2017, the ship launched an ROV off the Atlantic Coast of Brazil to help document the largely unknown ]Amazon Reef
The Amazon Reef, or Amazonian Reef, is an extensive coral and sponge reef system, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of French Guiana and northern Brazil. It is one of the largest known reef systems in the world, with scientists esti ...
in advance of planned developments by oil companies.
In 2020 the ''Esperanza'' sailed the ''Protect the Oceans'' campaign, a voyage from the Arctic to the Antarctic. This almost year-long voyage was one of Greenpeace’s biggest ever expeditions and highlighted the many threats the oceans are facing.
With Greenpeace’s vision for a zero-carbon future, it was decided to retire the ''Esperanza''. Early 2022 she was decommissioned and sold for scrap to Spain. Her last voyage she sailed 7 February 2022 from her homeport Amsterdam to Bilbao. Then from Bilbao to Gijón where she arrived 12 February 2022, to be dismantled and recycled.
See also
*
*
* (Flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor, Washington, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action t ...
)
Gallery
File:Esperanza and MSC Algeciras.jpg, River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
, 2016
File:Esperanza (IMO 8404599).jpg, Bilbao
)
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize = 275 px
, map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao
, pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption ...
, August 2017
File:Le MV Esperanza (1).JPG, La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
, February 2018
File:Le MV Esperanza (22).JPG, Stern view
File:Greenpeace Ushuaia Argentina Coral Prines.jpg, Antarctic expedition, 2019
References
External links
Greenpeace's ''Esperanza'' page
live webcam aboard Greenpeace's boats, including the ''Esperanza''
1984 ships
Ships built in Gdańsk
Ships of Greenpeace
Auxiliary ships of the Soviet Navy
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