(N de P / 13/07/10)   On July, 10 they have passed 25 years since French secret agents put two bombs on the Rainbow Warrior and sank her in the port of Auckland, New Zealand, causing death to photographer Fernando Pereira. Greenpeace commemorates the anniversary by starting the construction of a new Rainbow Warrior.

It will be the first boat the organization builds from the beginning with very advanced environmental adaptations. The ceremony of laying the keel was held at the shipyard of Gdansk, Poland.

“One of the principles of Greenpeace, one of the things that make us so strong and special, is that we are non-violent. Fernando did not have to die; he was a threat to no one. We will never forget him. I hope the generations of activists who sail on the new ship will be as determined and as exceptional and as inspired as he was,” said Rainbow Warrior Captain Pete Willcox, as he laid a wreath today for Fernando Pereira, the Greenpeace photographer, who was murdered when French agents bombed and sunk the Rainbow Warrior 25 years ago.

“Since the first Rainbow Warrior set sail in 1978 the ship has been an icon of non-violent direct action and a beacon of hope for millions of people around the world. The Rainbow Warrior has been on the frontline, bearing witness to and challenging environmental abuses. More than ever the world needs hope, it needs action, it needs a Rainbow Warrior,” has said Juan López de Uralde, Director of Greenpeace Spain. “Today, 25 years after the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, the message is clear: A rainbow cannot be sunk.”

The new Rainbow Warrior will be a sailboat, her masts will rise 54m above the water, helping Greenpeace to reduce their CO2 footprint and serving as an example of intelligent environmental conversion.

Among other design features, it has a satellite link that will provide a broadband connection, which will offer direct access to the images of the actions and contact with the crew to the world. It will also allow millions of people to become rainbow warriors virtually. The special design of the cranes will allow the fast descent of the zodiacs, key tools to confront environmental abuse. The ship will be finished when the 40th anniversary of the founding of Greenpeace.

“When the original Rainbow Warrior was bombed the threat of nuclear war represented our worst nightmare, and concern over climate change was just beginning. Now, it is well understood that hundreds of thousands of people are already dying as a result of the impacts of climate change” has said Kumi Naidoo, Director of Greenpeace International. “The new Rainbow Warrior will play a vital role in Greenpeace's campaign for action to avert catastrophic climate change.”

Watch video on: http://vimeo.com/13201478
Rainbow Warrior III promotional video: http://vimeo.com/13205971
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