SV Estelle
 Estelle alongside in her home port Turku, Finland | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Owner: |
|
| Operator: | Uusi Tuuli |
| Port of registry: |
 Finland |
| Launched: | 1922 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Schooner |
| Length: | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Sail plan: | Bermuda |
SV Estelle is a fair trade cargo Bermuda schooner, currently the biggest sail ship in Finnish register. She was built in Emden, Germany in 1922 as a 42-meter (137.8 feet), steel-hulled ship for trawl-fishing in the Baltic Sea. Estelle's hometown is Turku. She was long owned by Eestaas and operated by Uusi Tuuli. Now she belongs to a "Ship to Gaza" company Northern Breeze AB, registered in Turku, Finland.[1][2]
Estelle was previously maintained by volunteers who had the desire to sail to Africa to export assistance supplies and bring back fair trade goods and operate according to the ideals of Fair Trade. She made her first trip to Africa in 2002, before which she also visited the Mediterranean Sea, Ireland and some harbors of Northern Europe. In addition, many of the ship's crew have been trained while sailing in the Baltic Sea.
After her trip to Angola, Estelle has mainly sailed in the Baltic Sea, participated in the Tall Ships Race of 2003, and collaborated with Greenpeace on research and campaign work. Estelle is also constantly training new crew members since it is open to practically any one.
Estelle's operations are primarily based on volunteers. Operations strive for environmental sustainability, solidarity and global equality. Since 2003, Prometheus camps have been organized on Estelle every summer as a non-religious alternative to confirmation camp. During the camp the boat tours around the archipelago near Turku.[3]
Estelle joined Sail Training International's (STI) Class A Forum as a member during the spring of 2005. The forum is intended for training the crews of the world's largest sailboats, improving operations and other related development.[4]
On 27 April 2010, Estelle board member Jyri Jaakkola was killed by paramilitaries in Mexico.
In 2012, Estelle was sold to Swedish interests for an attempt to break the Gaza blockade.
Gaza mission
Estelle departed for the Gaza Strip to try to break Israel's maritime blockade in the summer of 2012.[5] "We are sailing with peaceful intentions," a crew member said.[6] Estelle is Swedish-owned, but Finnish-flagged ship. According to the Ship to Gaza organization, there are also eleven Swedes, two Finns, five Greeks, four Norwegians, three Israelis, three Spanish citizens, one Canadian and one Italian aboard.[7]
"It will not be allowed to go into the Gaza Strip port," said Yuval Donio-Gideon, First Secretary at the Israeli Embassy in Finland. "Because Gaza is ruled by a terror organization, we cannot make sure what goes into Gaza, we cannot inspect that and cannot trust the authorities in Gaza to inspect that and to make sure that materials would help the terrorists in Gaza would get to their hands."
On October 20, the Israeli military seized the vessel without incident and took it to the port of Ashdod. Those on board are to be turned over to the police.
Estelle is the latest in a series of vessels manned by activists who have tried to challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza, imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007.[8]
References
- ↑ "Uudet yritykset" [New companies]. Taloussanomat (in Finnish).
- ↑ "October 2012". Uusi Tuuli ry - S/V Estelle (in Finnish). 22 October 2012.
- ↑ Suominen, Osma (7 April 2009). "Prometheus camps". Prometheus-leirin tuki ry (in Finnish).
- ↑ "Introduction". Sail Training International. Archived from the original on 2007-05-02.
- ↑ "Israel reiterates intent to stop Estelle's Gaza mission". Yle. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ↑ "Estelle crew: no aim to provoke Israeli officials". Yle. 16 October 2012.
- ↑ "Israeli navy intercepts the Estelle". Yle. 20 October 2012.
- ↑ Batty, David (20 October 2012). "Gaza-bound ship Estelle intercepted by Israeli forces". The Guardian.