By Mohsin Abbas / The Santiago Times Staff
VALPARAISO — Greenpeace is offering a free-of-charge visit of its most iconic ship “The Rainbow Warrior”, paying homage to firefighters who led from the front the fight against recent deadly forest fires.
The sailboat, which is already in the port city of Valparaiso, can be visited from Thursday to Sunday, from 10 at 5:00 p.m.
The Rainbow Warrior arrived at the main port of the country from Coquimbo, where more than 3,000 people visited the mythical boat.
Its arrival sends a powerful signal of commitment on the part of Greenpeace with the global campaign “Defend the seas of the end of the world “, which seeks the protection of the waters of the Magellan area before the advance of salmon farming.
“The arrival of the Rainbow Warrior reveals that the Chilean austral seas are of enormous relevance to the planet. In fact, 36% of the world’s marine mammal biodiversity is in the Chilean Patagonia seas, which are also home to the Chilean dolphin,” said Matías Asun, national director of Greenpeace in Chile.
The Greenpeace, on Wednesday, invited representatives of the Valparaíso Fire Department, represented by Superintendent Erasmo Olivares, to express their appreciation for the work they carried out in combating the devastating forest fires that recently affected the country.
“We join with firefighters of Chile a sense of commitment and vocation that we have wanted to recognize in a special way today. That is why we have decided that our first official activity in Valparaíso is a tribute to its fire department and, through them, all the firefighters in Chile,” Matías Asun added.
Erasmo Olivares, Superintendent of Firemen of Valparaiso, thanked Mr. Asun for the tribute and said: “We receive this recognition with pride and gratitude.”
After the ceremony, held at the heliport of the ship, the firefighters toured the Rainbow Warrior and were surprised with a boat that was designed from scratch and under strict environmental specifications and standards.
In fact, the mythical Dutch sailboat was designed so that in its navigation uses wind energy instead of fossil fuels, with the option that, in adverse climatic conditions or lack of wind, can be driven by a diesel-electric propulsion engine.
The yacht has a mast and sails with an A-shaped frame (which allows optimization of navigation), can perform biological treatment of waste water, has a central ventilation, a fuel-filling system and oils to avoid spills. Moreover, its paint does not pollute.
Also, the sailboat has all the security equipment and tools of action and research, such as four inflatable boats, landing facilities for a helicopter and a communication platform with the latest technology.
The Rainbow Warrior was designed by the Dutch naval architecture company Dijkstra and Partners and built by the German shipyard Fassmer. It entered the water for the first time in July 2011 and was baptized on October 14, 2011 in Bremen, Germany, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Greenpeace.
All funding for the construction of the ship came from donations from its partners around the world, as Greenpeace does not seek or accept funds from companies, governments or political parties.
Crew
Captain: Pep Barbal Badia (Spain)
First official: Ocke Deutschmann (Germany)
Second officer: Adrian Arauz Hernandez (Panama)
Third official: Reinoud Smits (Holland)
Chief Engineer: Robin Ristjouw (Holland)
Second Engineer: Viktor Polishchuk (Ukraine)
Electrician: Florin Popescu (Romania)
Boat Mechanic: Sabine Steiner (Germany)
Cook: Daniel Bravo Garibi (Mexico)
Radio Operator: Steve Wallace (Australia)
Contramaestre: Penny Gardner (Britain)
Sailor: Api Waqanisau (Fiji Islands)
Marinero: Brook Dunn (Canada)
Sailor: Ale Montanari (Italy)
Mariner: Rita Ghanem (Lebanon)
Marinero: Andres Soto (Chile)
Marinera: Fernanda Andre Vera (Mexico)
Marinero: Andrés Altamirano Fonseca (Chile)
Rainbow Warrior
Flag: Netherlands
Type: Motorized sailboat with helicopter landing deck
Class: Germanischer Lloyd, notations include Green Passport
Length: 57.92 m
Sleeve: 11,30 m
Draft: 5.12 m
Air draft: 54.25 m
Tonnage: 872 tonnes
Sailing rig: 2 masts in A with 5 sails
Main and auxiliary machines: Caterpillar
Maximum test speed: 14 knots
Autonomy: 4,500 nautical miles
Housing: 30 people
Total surface area of the candles: 1,260 square meters
