Text 7. Fire ferry arrives safely

Saturday, 18 May, 2002

A North Sea ferry which was left drifting 140 miles off the UK coast after two fires has arrived safely at its destination of Kristiansand in Norway.

Fire investigators have boarded the Princess of Scandinavia, which was carrying 758 passengers and more than 100 crew, to find out what happened.

Black scorch marks were visible on the side of the vessel's funnel, and
a faint smell of burning paint lingered in the air when it arrived.

The drama began on Friday night, when blazes erupted in the engine room and spread to the funnel of the vessel as it made its way to Kristiansand from North Shields, near Newcastle.

The fires prompted a mayday call from the ship, which had lost power, and a massive rescue operation involving the RAF and coastguards from several countries was begun.

Passengers were escorted onto the deck ready for evacuation, and lifeboats were lowered.

But the evacuations plans were abandoned after the fires were extinguished by onboard firefighters about two hours later, and the crew managed to restart some of the engines.

There were no casualties, although two passengers collapsed on deck and were treated for shock.

Passengers leaving the ship in Norway told the ship's public address system was disabled and there was confusion about what was happening.

One passenger said: "It was like Titanic without the iceberg". She said passengers were woken in their cabins by worried crew members and told to go to the upper deck where the lifeboats were being made ready.

Others praise the crew and said there was little sign of panic during the incident.

Initial reports suggest the fires were started by a leak from a hydraulic system.

Among the passengers there were 246 Britons, 428 Swedes, 71 Norwegians and 13 Danes.

The ferry limped into Kristiansand, its first scheduled port of call, nearly eight hours late just before 1500 GMT (1600 BST) on Saturday evening.

The ferry, which left the English port of Newcastle on Friday, had been scheduled to sail on to Gothenburg, Sweden, but will remain in Norway for repairs and the investigation.

Travel arrangements were being made for passengers who wanted to reach Gothenburg or return to Britain.

Text 8. About Greenpeace

Greenpeace is a non-profit organisation, with a presence in 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and grants.

As a global organisation, Greenpeace focuses on the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet's environment.

They campaign to stop climate change, protect ancient forests, save the oceans, stop whaling, say no to genetic engineering, stop the nuclear threat, eliminate toxic chemicals, encourage sustainable trade.

They take the name of their flagship, the Rainbow Warrior, from a North American Indian legend. It described a time when humanity's greed has made the Earth sick. At that time, a tribe of people known as the Warriors of the Rainbow would rise up to defend her.

One of the banners summed things up, "When the last tree is cut, the last river poisoned, and the last fish dead, we will discover that we can't eat money..."

In 1971, motivated by their vision of a green and peaceful world, a small team of activists set sail from Vancouver, Canada, in an old fishing boat. These activists, the founders of Greenpeace, believed a few individuals could make
a difference.

Their mission was to "bear witness" to US underground nuclear testing at Amchitka, a tiny island off the West Coast of Alaska, which is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions.

Amchitka was the last refuge for 3000 endangered sea otters, and home to bald eagles and other wildlife.

Even though their old boat, the Phyllis Cormack, was intercepted before it got to Amchitka, the journey sparked a flurry of public interest.

The US still detonated the bomb, but the voice of reason had been heard. Nuclear testing on Amchitka ended that same year, and the island was later declared a bird sanctuary.

Today, Greenpeace is an international organisation that prioritises global environmental campaigns.

Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Greenpeace has 2.8 million supporters worldwide, and national as well as regional offices in 41 countries.

 

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