ENVIRONMENTAL group Greenpeace said its activists had boarded a logging ship in Papua New Guinea to prevent it from exporting timber to China last Thursday.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific said four activists climbed on a loading crane aboard the ship Harbour Gemini at Paia Inlet on PNG’s southwest coast to stop logs being loaded.
The group argues the ship is being operated by Malaysian-owned logging company Rimbunan Hijau, which it accuses of breaking PNG’s forestry laws.
“We need to urgently protect these ancient forests to save our climate,” said Greenpeace campaigner Sam Moko.
“Greenpeace is asking the Papua New Guinea government to establish a moratorium on any new large-scale logging concessions or extensions,” Moko said in a statement.
The activists travelled to Papua New Guinea on the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza.
The vesssel was also involved in a campaign harassing Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean early this year.
Greenpeace said the PNG government had a poor forest management record.
This include accusations of corruption and misappropriation of funds.
It said PNG locals wanted an investigation into the logging industry.