At a ceremony in Singapore today, the iconic protest vessel, the Rainbow Warrior II was transferred to Friendship, a Bangladesh based NGO which will refit it for use as a hospital ship.
At a ceremony in Singapore today, the iconic protest vessel, the Rainbow Warrior II was transferred to Friendship, a Bangladesh based NGO which will refit it for use as a hospital ship.
The Rainbow Warrior II first sailed for Greenpeace in 1989 and replaced the original Rainbow Warrior, after it was bombed and sunk by French Government agents, in Auckland harbour, in 1985.
After 22 years of traversing the world's oceans in defence of the environment, the ship will be renamed as Rongdhonu, Bengali for Rainbow.
The ship will serve the coastal belt of Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal delivering primary and secondary medical assistance to some of the most vulnerable communities of the world, communities that have little or no access to basic health care facilities. The Rongdhonu will also serve as an emergency medical ship around the region, enabling Friendship to bring medical aid to those areas which are already experiencing the effects of climate change.
