Greenpeace commemorates anniversary of Rainbow Warrior attack

On 10 July 1989, French agents blew holes into the hull of the ship using underwater mines. Fernando Pereira, then 35, was trapped in his cabin and drowned. The Portuguese-Dutch crewman and photographer was the only victim to perish in the attack.

"Today we are here to honour the courage of Fernando Pereira and all who sailed with him," Greenpeace's executive director Kumi Naidoo said, at a ceremony in the Polish port of Gdansk, where the latest version of the vessel is being constructed.

The ship was due to lead a convoy of vessels to protest against France’s Pacific Ocean nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.
"We honour the entire crew of the Rainbow Warrior which went down, as well as all our folks that work on ships, that take direct action, that hang from coal-fired power plants, that put their lives on the line," Naidoo said.

The incident turned into a tremendous political and public relations disaster for France, but drew extensive recruitment for Greenpeace. After initially denying responsibility, France succumbed to the accumulated pressure and admitted its involvement in September 1985.

The American captain of the Rainbow Warrior Peter Wilcox, led a minute's silence for Pereira and placed a wreath by the keel of Rainbow Warrior III, due to be launched in 2011.