Greenpeace Christens New Action Ship

The German chapter of Greenpeace on Friday unveiled its new action ship, the "Beluga II," in Hamburg. The introduction of the €1.4 million ($1.7 million) motorized sailboat marks the first time the environmental organization has built its own ship. Greenpeace financed the vessel through donations. The other three ships in the global organization's fleet were purchased used. With a depth of only 1.4 meters (4.6 feet), a length of 34 meters and two collapsible masts, the Beluga II is capable of navigating oceans, rivers with low bridges, and it can even be beached on sandbars during an outgoing tide without causing any damage. Beluga II replaces the original Beluga, which was used for two decades in environmental actions that exposed pollution in Germany's rivers and monitored polluters along the country's coast.