Three Greenpeace protesters have now been arrested after 10 hours of hanging on the New Zealand research ship Tangaroa in strong winds.
Siana Fitzjohn, Kailas Wild and Adrian Sanders were cheered by fellow Greenpeace members on the dock whilst being arrested by local police.
One of the protesters was hanging from the gantry structure, one from a mast and the other was attached to a ladder. They unfurled a banner proclaiming: "Climb it change."
Police had already arrested two other protesters, Genevieve Toop and Niamh O'Flynn, who also boarded the ship.
Greenpeace claimed the taxpayer-funded climate and ocean research ship had been refitted at a cost of $24 million for oil and gas exploration and was preparing to leave Wellington for the East Coast on charter to Chevron.
However, a spokes spokeswoman for NIWA, the New Zealand research agency that operates Tangaroa, told local media the vessel was not searching for oil. "We are a sea research vessel. We do have clients we work for on various things."
Chevron confirmed on Tuesday that it had chartered the ship, reports news agency Stuff. New Zealand Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said he did not know who the charterer was, but it "wouldn't surprise me at all" if it were an oil company. However, he said, it would be good for the country if oil were to be discovered.
Why I chained myself to a Government oil exploration boat
Blogpost by Siana Fitzjohn - November 24, 2015 at 11:46, source: Greenpeace New Zealand
This morning along with four others I boarded a government oil exploration ship in Wellington, climbed a mast and locked myself on.