Last month, we announced Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s first ever campaigning vessel. This lightning-fast, 68ft new addition to the Greenpeace fleet will be used to fight for the protection of our precious oceans in our region.

From stopping Woodside’s disastrous offshore gas plans, fighting for a new Marine Protected Area for Lord Howe Rise, and keeping deep sea mining out of the waters of Australia and the Pacific forever, our new vessel is ready to make waves.

Before we start campaigning on the high seas, we needed a new name for our boat that perfectly embodies the reason we acquired a campaigning vessel in the first place: to safeguard our blue planet and defend our oceans.

What better place to start than to ask the community that keeps Greenpeace Australia Pacific alive – people just like you.

We consulted far and wide with Greenpeace Australia Pacific staff, our supporters across the nation, First Nations representatives and Pacific Elders.

And after hundreds of submissions, we are very excited to announce that our boat’s name is…

OCEANIA

Isn’t it perfect?

Oceania is the geographic region home to the diverse peoples and nations of the South Pacific and the continent of Australia – and will be the permanent home of our new campaigning vessel.

Our new boat will be used to take direct action, support front-line communities, bear witness to environmental destruction and undertake scientific research; primarily within the Australia and Pacific region.

We were looking for a meaningful name that captures the spirit of our mission and values of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

As a local campaigning vessel in our global fleet, Oceania speaks to the urgent need for action in Australia and around the Pacific against threats brought on by the nature and climate crisis.

Together we can rise against big polluters and destructive industries who want to mine, pollute and unsustainably harvest our oceans. Together we can create protected ocean sanctuaries and amplify the voices of communities across Australia and the Pacific who depend on healthy oceans.

We are stronger together, and we are further strengthening our people-powered community with Oceania. Our vessel can bear witness, conduct research and connect us all deeper with our ocean home.

Oceania will be undergoing a refit very soon to ensure she is up to standard for campaigning on the high seas. Oceania was once a family cruising vessel, but it’s now a fierce campaigning vessel! This means we need to:

• Convert the large double beds to bunk beds so we can sleep more campaigners on board
• Reduce the number of bathrooms and convert one to a “wet room” – a space where campaigners can get dry and unpack their gear after taking action at sea
• Give the sails a well overdue replacement
• Expand the kitchen to be a fully functional galley large enough to feed a full crew
• Move the autopilot system outside and on deck where our captain will be steering the vessel

We need your help to make this transformation happen. Donate today to help get Oceania ready for campaigning.

From April 2024, the very first Greenpeace Australia Pacific vessel will set sail in the turquoise waters around Australia and the Pacific. 

With the help of an incredibly generous donor, we’ve purchased a 68ft blue water sailing boat. It’s no leisure cruiser. It’s built for speed, for the open water, to take on those who threaten the future of our blue planet.

It has recently made its way from France all the way to its new home in Australia Pacific waters. It’s currently undergoing a makeover and refit to ensure it’s up to the best possible standard for our ocean campaigns.

A love for our oceans lies at the heart of who we are at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

Our first ever action in 1977 involved activists using inflatable zodiacs to blockade a whaling station in Albany, Western Australia. This action helped to bring an end to whaling in Australian waters, and spelled the birth of Greenpeace in Australia and later the Pacific.

And now, our fight to protect whales and every creature that calls the ocean home has never been greater.

Which is why we need this vessel to help win campaigns and safeguard our oceans.

As our Head of Field Operations Chris Hay put it: you can’t save the oceans without getting your feet wet.

Now that we have this incredible campaigning asset, we need to raise funds to help power our new vessel to victory. There’s a lot at stake:

• Our direct action at sea can help stop Woodside’s monstrous Burrup Hub from becoming a reality. Exposing their sins at sea can help stop the project.
• Along with Pasifika activists, we’re taking the world’s biggest issue – climate change – to the world’s highest court. With the help of our new vessel, we’ll continue to engage with communities in the Pacific.
• Our oceans are in crisis, with deep sea mining, plastic pollution and industrial fishing pushing our blue planet to the brink. With our new ocean-going vessel, we can campaign for a Global Oceans Treaty, a Global Plastics Treaty, and a moratorium on the destructive practice of deep sea mining.

It won’t be long until our boat is ready for campaigning at sea – and you can be part of this next phase of history at Greenpeace Australia Pacific. 

Donate now to help get our boat on the water and protecting our beautiful oceans.