Meet the crew
Bustar, campaigner
I am a forest campaigner with Greenpeace South East Asia. I was born and grew up in Papua, the Paradise Forest. I feel sad now because the forest is facing big threats. Logging companies, palm oil companies, and mining is occupying this land at the moment. I was working with the community for seven years before joining Greenpeace and when I lived with them, they always gave me the spirit to fight against any kind development with a big negative impact on the community and environment.
I kept that spirit until I joined Greenpeace. I joined in 2005 and started to doing solutions work in Papua, working with the community to assist them in better forest management, doing boundary marking and providing training. I also want to deliver the message to the govenment and others that we need to act now, there is no time to wait because destruction is coming.
Jamie, web producer
I’m from the UK and although I live in London, I wasn’t born there. I don’t think anybody is, it’s a city of migrants. I’ve been working for Greenpeace UK for nearly three years which have been the most frustrating, exhilarating, unpredictable, and satisfying years of my life so far. It certainly beats working on websites for low-grade TV shows like Killer Shark Live, which is what I used to do.
When I’m off-duty, I do all the usual things you learn to recite in foreign language lessons: swimming, cycling, reading, cooking, going to the cinema… Nothing really out of the ordinary. I’ve been trying to learn Mandarin on and off for the past few years and if the world didn’t need saving, I’d probably be a film critic.
Madeleine, captain
My first Greenpeace trip was on the Rainbow Warrior in 1995. It was the historic journey to Mururoa Atoll to protest against French nuclear testing. At the time becoming captain on a Greenpeace ship seemed like an impossible dream. And yes, it was completely a dream come true that my first action was to drive an inflatable into a nuclear test site in the middle of the Pacific. It was exactly what I imagined Greenpeace was all about.
This is my first time as captain on a Greenpeace ship. It is an amazing honour and I appreciate just how fortunate I am to be in this special position. I know that it is an experience I will always treasure.
When we arrived in Jayapura, I had only been captain for two days. I was quite nervous about bringing the ship alongside (or parking) for the first time.
It was a perfectly calm morning. Jayapura is perched spectacularly on the slopes of lush forested mountains which sweep down to palm-fringed beaches and a well-protected natural harbour. As we motored slowly towards the dock, we could already hear the music and singing of the Papuan dancers there to greet us.
From tiny children to beautiful women they danced and sang our welcome, tiny white dots painted under their eyes and gorgeous feather head-dresses pinned in their hair. What an honour to be greeted like this and to receive the symbolic gifts of a carved wooden paddle and shell lei. It was overwhelming to bring the Esperanza – this symbol of hope – to meet these people and to unite with them in our fight to save the Paradise Forests from the threat of palm oil expansion.
Maria, deckhand
I’m 20 years old and I’m a volunteer from Manokwari in Papua, where I am studying natural forest management at the state university. I have been with Greenpeace since 2006, and I think Greenpeace is an organisation that will help transform Papua. It’s important for Papuan people to know about how the forest can benefit them.
This is the first time I have been on the Esperanza and I am having some wonderful experiences here. If we want to do something, it will not just be one people, one culture or one country, but everyone must help do something for the world. Greenpeace is my inspiration.
Nabiha, media officer
This is my first time sailing on the Esperanza. I am lucky that, so far, I have been involved in most of the Greenpeace ship tours that passed my frontyard… Indonesia that is.
I was first involved in the Rainbow Warrior ship tour in 2004 as part of the ground team. I was lucky enough to be rewarded with a trip on the Warrior at the end of the two-month tour, from Jakarta to Singapore – helping with some deckwork but mostly just spending hours and hours staring at the sea from the bow of the ship. That was my first time sailing, and I loved it.
The best time on a Greenpeace ship must be when I was involved in the Aceh tsunami mission. The Rainbow Warrior was one of the first ships that carried aid to the badly damaged west coast of Aceh. We were working together with other organisations such as Medicins Sans Frontier and Action Against Hunger, transporting mostly things to provide people with clean water, sanitation and also rice. I spent five weeks in total on the ship.
I got involved with Greenpeace on and off after that, mainly doing media work. I am also working freelance as a writer and journalist, based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Naga, chief cook
I was born in Kakinada, India, and I have completed BCom (Bachelor of Commerce) studies. I am working for Greenpeace for the first time.
When I was in 12th grade, I joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) which is a part of the Indian Navy, and I travelled a lot on the rivers and oceans around India. During these expeditions, we did some adventurous activities like supplying food to flooded areas and protecting teak and sandal wood trees from smugglers and false contractors. I worked for more than five years here, and I have very good knowledge of sailing yachts, rafting and modelling ships. After that, I tried to be an officer in the Indian navy but I did not succeed.
After graduating, I applied for all kinds of jobs. Finally, I found the catering profession and joined a college course. It is sometimes a thankless job and is a lot of work, but I did not look back and sailed towards my great future. I worked on cruise liners with P&O and then Pullmantur. But I wanted to do a job which is adventurous and also helpful to others. Then my brother, who sailed as a third mate on a Greenpeace ship, suggested that Greenpeace is a great organisation which is fighting for the forests, animals and oceans, to save the Earth for the future.
So when the opportunity came, I was so pleased to be accepted as a chef. I believe that by joining Greenpeace, I have a very good opportunity to contribute towards saving the forests and environment for present and future generations. I believe in giving the crew and the campaigners the best meals to them happy in what they are doing each day. My challenge to the campaigners in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia is if you can end illegal logging and forest conversion to palm oil plantations, I will return and open a restaurant and you can all have free meals!
Paul, electrician
I am a 64-year-young Indian, and I am the electrician on board the Esperanza. After serving in the Indian Navy for 10 years, I sailed in commercial vessels for 30 years before taking retirement two and a half years ago. After that, I was doing social work.
This is my first assignment with Greenpeace. I am very lucky and feel so happy to be a part of this wonderful team engaged in such a noble cause, saving forests and the environment. Hot gas emissions have reached dangerously high levels and affected the climate drastically. It is endangering the very existence of life on this planet.
Greenpeace is doing such a wonderful and relentless job and I am proud to be a part of this organisation. I realised that it is never too late to be of some service for the betterment of future generations and our planet.
Silas, deckhand
I live in a small valley in Oregon in the US. As of late, more and more I call myself a carpenter. I spent the summer building a straw-bale bakery before I embarked for this campaign.
I joined Greenpeace for my second tour on the Esperanza at the beginning of October and will stay with the ship for two to three months. I’m hoping to get some good work done to the ship during the long transit to Jakarta – she could use a little more rust-chipping and a few coats of paint as always.
But of course, first and foremost I’m looking forward to the campaign and hope to impede the destruction of more virgin forests. Less talk, more rock.
Protect Forests, Save Our Climate | Greenpeace Southeast Asia 
Sriramana said,
October 30, 2008 @ 10:45 am
Hi Bhasker
I red your profile, i am very happy to see you in this website,
as one of the global saviours from corners of the world. i wish
you all best to you. come soon, here in kakinada your new build
world is waiting with your greneration of wish from god. keep moving
findi k said,
November 11, 2008 @ 8:10 pm
HI guys,
you guys are (rock)
Spritemonkey said,
November 14, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
I think although companies are often, at the baseline, made up by people who may not have great choice in their employment, still we can confront an abusive companies behavoiur as a whole. They who effectively ‘steal’ from the future ie. take more from nature than is able to replenish in time for the next person/generation can no longer expect to continue freely without coming into conflict with those whose hearts have not turned to stone and whose vision is still whole. A new dawn is rising and it is casting light into the shadows – through us.