Russian authorities have released the Greenpeace ship involved in a high-profile protest against drilling for oil in the Arctic, the campaign group said.
The Arctic Sunrise had been held in Murmansk since September following the detention of 30 people on board by Russian security forces during a protest at state oil company Gazprom’s drilling platform in the Arctic’s Pechora Sea.
Greenpeace welcomed the news from Russia’s investigative committee that it had annulled the arrest of the vessel, but the environmental group restated its belief that the detention of the ship was illegal under international law.
Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo said: “Millions of people spoke out against the illegal imprisonment of the Arctic 30, and today the final member of the group is free to come home.
“Our ship was arrested during an entirely peaceful protest against Arctic drilling in international waters. There was absolutely no justification either for boarding the ship or keeping her for eight months.
“This whole affair was a brazen attempt to intimidate those who believe that drilling for oil in the melting Arctic is reckless and unsafe.
“After months without proper maintenance our ship will need careful repairs, but like our campaign to protect the Arctic she will emerge better, fitter and stronger from this.”
He added: “We will continue to oppose any oil company that attempts to drill in the Arctic ocean. As the world warms and the ice melts this is fast becoming an era-defining battle, and we are determined to win it.”
All 28 activists and two freelance journalists on board the Arctic Sunrise, including six Britons, were arrested and detained in Murmansk and then St Petersburg, charged first with piracy and then hooliganism.
They were granted amnesty under a new Russian law passed in December.
In November, a UN-mandated tribunal had ordered Russia to immediately release the ship and its crew, a demand Moscow did not respond to. The vessel is now being released from custody but the investigation into the protest is continuing.
Greenpeace said it would get independent surveyors to assess the Arctic Sunrise for damage since it was detained, and then would be sending a crew to collect her as early as next week.