14 DAY TRIAL // Rotterdam's Mississippi harbor was completely blocked during this weekend, as two Greenpeace ships, the Rainbow Warrior and the Beluga II, prevented coal shipments on their way to the Netherlands from reaching their destination. The move was saluted by other environmental organizations as well. They said that the country already produced more energy than it needed and that E.ON's plans of building new coal-powered plants were absurd and needed to be stopped.
By this action, the international group also protested against the arrest of 90 of its members in Maasvlakte, a site where the utility company is currently building one of its new plants. The Greenpeace activists jammed activities at the construction site, in a peaceful manner. They chained themselves to cranes and other machines, protesting against the ever-increasing use of coal for electricity generation. Nevertheless, the police took them in custody, pending a full investigation.
"Greenpeace has taken action today to stop a climate disaster. The Netherlands already produces more energy than it needs, and plans to export electricity from 2009, so building new coal is just crazy. E.ON must see sense, and shift its investments from this dirtiest of energy sources to clean renewable technologies," argued Greenpeace Netherlands' climate and energy campaigner, Rolf Schipper.
Port officials said that the blockade had very little effect on normal operations, as the basin where the ships were anchored is way off the main waterway into the world's largest port, spanning some 25 miles (roughly 40 kilometers). Though Greenpeace announced that a ship was due to arrive on Sunday evening, the authorities said that this was not the case, and added that, of the three ships currently unloading in the harbor, the first will lift anchor on Monday evening.
The direct actions of Greenpeace are part of a larger, ongoing campaign, to protest against the worldwide use of coal. Its flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, is engaged in a ten month-long "Quit Coal" expedition, which started in New Zealand, and has now moved to Europe.