MV Esperanza

Specifications
* Port of registry: Amsterdam, Netherlands
* Former Name: Echo Fighter
* Date of charter: 2000
* Number of berths: 33
* Inflatable boats: 2 large and 3 small rigid hull inflatables (RHIB)
* Helicopter capable: Yes
* Type of ship: expedition/research
* Call sign: PD 6464
* Built: 1984 Poland Gdansk
* Gross tonnage: 2076 BRT
* Length o.a: 72.3 m
* Breadth: 14.3 m
* Draught: 4.7 m
* Maximum speed: 16 knots
* Main engines: 5.876 BHP, 2*2.938 BHP Sulzer V12

The MV "Esperanza" is a ship operated by Greenpeace. Previous to being a Greenpeace ship it was a fire fighter owned by the Russian navy, built in 1984. It was recommissioned in 2000 and launched in 2002 after being named Esperanza ('hope' in Spanish) by visitors to the Greenpeace website. It had undergone a major refit by Greenpeace to make it more environmentally friendly. A new helicopter deck and boat cranes were also added.

The ship has a heavy ice class, giving it the ability to work in polar regions. It has a top speed of 16 knots and an overall length of 72.3 m. This makes it the fastest and largest of the Greenpeace fleet. It is registered as a Motor Yacht. [ [http://www.greenpeace.org/mediterranean/about/ships/the-mv-esperanza MV "Esperanza" page at Greenpeace.org] ]

It has been involved in many campaigns, starting with the logging 'save or delete' campaign and currently in a 14 month voyage around the world designed to highlight the damage been done to the oceans.

Video equipment aboard

Greenpeace added [http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/photo-audio-video/live-webcam live webcams] to the "Esperanza" in 2006. The webcams are positioned on the bow of the ship, the mast and the bridge, they send a new image every minute to their Defending Our Oceans website and provide an archive of action.

In April 2006, the "Esperanza" was equipped with state of the art underwater monitoring equipment, including a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which can shoot video down to a depth of 300 m, and a drop camera capable of reaching depths of 1,000 m.

Virtual tour

The Greenpeace website also includes a narrated [http://archive.greenpeace.org/earthsummit/esperanza/ship/tour/01.htm virtual tour of the ship] .

ee also

*Greenpeace
*"Rainbow Warrior"
*MV "Arctic Sunrise"
*Yellow Thing

External links

* [http://www.greenpeace.org/mediterranean/about/ships/the-mv-esperanza Greenpeace's "Esperanza" page]
* [http://www.greenpeace.org/multimedia/download/0/10441/0/esperanza01-2.mov Short video about the "Esperanza" (Quicktime)]

References