During the Barcolana regatta in the Italian city of Trieste, Gheperace activists approached the yacht EsmitEurope 2, sponsored by«Gazprom», in rubber boats. The environmentalists demanded that «Gazprom» give up oil extraction on the Arctic shelf and wanted to draw attention to the crew of the vessel «Arctic Sunrise» detained by Russian authorities. The activists followed the yacht all the way to the finish line with a banner «Away from the Arctic» and FreeTheArctic30 flags. «At one point, the Esmit Europe 2 shore team came to the rescue» and tried to stab the «greenpeace team with a knife.». No details of this incident are being released.
« We would like to point out that the protest is not aimed at the sailing or the teams taking part in the regatta," said Tina Peternel, Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe representative in Slovenia. - The protest is directed only against Gazprom, the main sponsor of one of the competing teams. Esimit Europa 2 is the first European flagship and carries highly professional sailors from different countries. The yacht is the official European symbol of innovation and efficiency, and its sponsor «Gazprom» is currently conducting one of the most reckless campaigns, delving into the Arctic to drill for oil».
The crew of Esmit Europe 2 has issued an official communication about «unforeseen circumstances» at the regatta, in which they thank the Italian police for their help and apologise for the trouble caused, without mentioning «Gazprom», or «Greenpeace». By the way, Esmit Europe 2 came to the finish line first without taking into account the handicap.
