Danish SOF and Greenpeace

January 2001

Photo of Danish boarding team.

Reader contribution:

I just wanted to brief you on a small incident here in Denmark: Our SEAL's (Froemandskorpset - FKP) and the police anti-terror unit (Aktionsstyrken - AKS) cooporated in order to apprehend 41 greenpeace activists at sea. No single unit in Denmark can maintain all skills necessary to keep the peace, security, law and order - but by maintaining specialist units and combining forces, a proper response to a wide range of senarios can be achieved.

27/1-2001 (-44h): Greenpeace activists based on 'MV Greenpeace' board the Italian bulk carrier 'Explorer' and chain themselves to the anchor-chain in order to deny the ship access to the habour in Aarhus, Denmark. The 'Explorer' is scheduled to unload 20.000 ton of un-marked genetically engineered soya (animal feed) from Argentina.

29/1-2001 (0330h): Breaking radar cover from a passing coaster, 8 RIB's with personnel from FKP and AKS approaches both 'Explorer' and 'MV Greenpeace'. Support divers are deployed and the boarding teams enter the ships assisted by a navy helicopter with search lights. The Greenpeace Zodiacs are incapacitated by cutting fuel lines and filters. The activists are rounded up in the mess on 'MV Greenpeace' and presented with the charges of disturbing the peace.

Activists with foreign nationality are expelled from Denmark and denied entry for 1 year. The shipping company is claiming compensation from Geenpeace, which is claiming compensation for the cut fuel lines from the danish government.

Greenpeace got what they really wanted: Media publicity. Also, FKP and AKS had a good opportunity to 'cross-train'. A danish solution: Problem solved - everybody is happy ;-)

Greenpeace press release:
http://www.greenpeace.org/%7Egeneng/highlights/gmo/explorer.htm

Real Player video clip from danish television (DR):
http://www.dr.dk/nsapi.dr/newton/tva_indslag/tvindexview.asp?id=35667