From: Greenpeace vessel MV Solo tracking Pacific Pintail
Date: MON 3-APR-95 06:51:49 GMT - DAY 40, PART I
The Pacific Pintail's position (0600 GMT) is 12 degrees 08 minutes south, and 129 degrees and 52 minutes west, and the ship's course is 322 degrees, sailing at a speed of 13.5 knots. For distances to Pacific Islands please see enclosed table.
Today the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior joined Solo in our tracking of the Pacific Pintail's passage through the Pacific Ocean. The Rainbow Warrior, on her way from Panama to Tahiti, previously formed the centre of Greenpeace's anti-plutonium campaign in the Caribbean. The Pacific Pintail avoided sailing through the Caribbean after many countries voiced their opposition against the passage of her radioactive cargo through their waters.
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or 16KB JPG. Rainbow Warrior joins MV Solo in tracking nuclear waste ship. ©Greenpeace/Simms.
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or 16KB JPG. Rainbow Warrior tracks Pacific Pintail. ©Greenpeace/Simms.
The Warrior will stay with us only briefly before heading to Tahiti. Greenpeace has been campaigning for a clean and nuclear- free Pacific since the early years of its inception in the 70s and has worked with local island people, repeatedly protested French nuclear testing, nuclear and industrial waste dumping and continues to work throughout the region. The Rainbow Warrior will travel from Tahiti to Australia, New Zealand and to a number of other Pacific islands in the coming months to address marine pollution and other issues there.
Although our speed will not allow us to go aboard the Warrior or have her crew join us on the Solo, we have enjoyed meeting up with our sister ship and exchanging radio information. Today. we were able to take some pictures from both the Solo and the Rainbow Warrior which were sent back electronically to Greenpeace Communiations.
The nuclear weapons states are currently seeking the indefinite, unconditional and unamended extension of a badly flawed, outdated and unjust Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Greenpeace calls on the Pacific states to oppose an indefinite extension of the NPT, and to call for the immediate compliance by the nuclear weapons states of their (Article VI) obligations under the current Treaty. In addition, Greenpeace urges Pacific Island States to call on the NPT parties for negotiations on a global halt to the production and trade in civil plutonium.
Best regards
and No Nukes!
Ulf Birgander (Captain)
From: Greenpeace vessel MV Solo tracking Pacific Pintail
Date: TUE 4-APR-95 06:09:39 GMT - DAY 40, PART II
The Pacific Pintail's position (1900 GMT) is 09 degrees 54 minutes south, and 131 degrees and 49 minutes west, and the ship's course is 322 degrees, sailing at a speed of 13.8 knots.
This will be a short one today as there's not much news and we are busy with ship maintenance, etc. We're out here in the middle of the Pacific--what a beautiful ocean. We often wonder why anyone would want to risk such beauty by sending nuclear waste through it or testing nuclear weapons here. With the nuclear Non-Proliferation talks about to begin at the UN in New York, we urge all the net surfers out there to urge their governments to bring about a real and binding commitment to begin to end the nuclear threat. Now is the time.
Best regards and No Nukes!
Ulf Birgander (Captain)
Bas Bruyne (Campaigner)