We know less about the deep sea than the surface of the moon. Every visit to the Arctic deep brings something totally new to science. 

So for the first time, Greenpeace is conducting a unique deep sea expedition in Arctic waters.

Together with a team of scientists from various renowned research institutions and a research vessel equipped with the scientific technology for exploring the deep sea, we are launching a mission into the last unmapped frontier on Earth.

Why the Arctic

The Arctic Deep is home to unique wildlife – from deep diving whales and tiny octopuses to ecosystems with deep sea corals and ancient sponge gardens, the oldest life forms on the planet. Along the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, underwater volcanoes and hot springs create oases of life in the freezing dark. These magical but fragile hotspots are wonders of nature that deserve to be both famous and protected. 

Yet the Arctic is one of the least protected marine regions, and the one most affected by climate change. What happens in the deep sea affects the rest of the ocean, climate and life on Earth, and we will show the world why we need to Protect the Oceans.

Here’s what we’re doing in the deep ocean 

1. Scientific research – studying habitats and species at risk:
The team of scientists on board will be hard at work gathering scientific evidence of the diversity and distribution of fauna in Arctic deep-sea ecosystems, with particular focus on vulnerable, rare, and undescribed species. Who knows what they’ll find!

2. Bring the deep sea to people’s hearts and minds:
We’ll be sharing with YOU all along the journey, through incredible and immersive visuals and new stories about the Arctic deep-sea. Our underwater robots will be descending thousands of metres into the Arctic deep to discover and document what we cannot afford to lose, providing the scientific evidence needed to protect these ecosystems. You can catch the livestream here.

3. Political agenda-setting – making the case for Arctic protection:
Using the scientific evidence from the expedition to strengthen the case for why we should protect our oceans, we will continue to call on leaders and policymakers to establish Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and long-term protection of the Arctic deep sea.

This is not just an expedition; it is a mission to what might be the origin of life itself. In the Arctic deep sea, time moves differently, ancient species thrive in the dark, and the very secrets of how life began are locked in geothermal oases along the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. While the world above warms, this hidden wilderness still remains a silent guardian of our climate. If not protected, we risk irreversible damage to thousands and even million year old ecosystems that can not be re-built – it will likely be gone forever. We are diving down there to document what we cannot afford to lose, and to secure a global marine sanctuary in these high seas. Join us as we uncover the secrets of the deep to protect its future.

Listen to the science. Protect the deep sea.

Deep Arctic Expedition

Join Greenpeace and world-leading scientists as we explore the fascinating deep sea in the Arctic.

Take action

The peaceful Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla has been illegally attacked in international waters by Israeli armed forces for the second time.

Greenpeace echoes the Global Sumud Flotilla’s urgent demand for safe passage for their peaceful humanitarian mission. Governments must act now to stop these illegal acts of aggression.

Greenpeace spokesperson Pujarini Sen said: “In Palestine, in Lebanon and now in international waters, Israel’s disregard for human rights and international law cannot be tolerated. How long will the world stand by and watch Israel act with such impunity?

“Greenpeace calls on all governments to act with urgency to uphold international law and ensure the immediate release and protection of the Global Sumud Flotilla with concrete steps to ensure its safe passage to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla is a peaceful international movement sailing to oppose Israel’s genocidal siege on Gaza, to confront the complicity that enables occupation, and to stand with the Palestinian people.

The Israeli government continues to enforce a blockade by land and sea of aid and food from international organisations. Blocking aid and targeting those who attempt to deliver it are violations of international humanitarian law.⁣

ENDS

The Flotilla Tracker map shows the location of the vessels: https://globalsumudflotilla.org/tracker/ 

Live streams from the flotilla: https://globalsumudflotilla.org/live

Contact:

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, +31 20 718 2470 (24 hours)

County Kilkenny, Ireland — Greenpeace International activists flew a ‘Stop the Billionaire Takeoff’ message near Kelcy Warren’s Irish estate Castletown Cox in County Kilkenny to call attention to this Big Oil bully’s widely reported takeover of the nearby Waterford Airport. 

Susannah Compton, Head of Civic Resistance at Greenpeace International, said: “Our message to Trump-donating billionaire and reported Waterford Airport investor Kelcy Warren is that his billions and his proximity to President Trump can buy a lot, but it can’t buy anonymity: his decade of legal attempts to squash free speech and silence opposition to his energy giant’s pipelines will always follow him.” 

“The billionaire takeoff is accelerating the already devastating impacts of climate change. A healthy future is dependent on curtailing the influence of billionaires whose businesses cook the planet and who use their power to attempt to silence dissent and free speech. It’s time to resist.”

Kelcy Warren’s reported takeover over of the Waterford Airport is not the US billionaire’s only entry in the area, as he has also purchased Castletown Cox in County Kilkenny, a historic estate where he plans to build a whiskey distillery.[1][2] 

Kelcy Warren is the co-founder, largest shareholder, and Executive Chairman of Energy Transfer LP, one of the largest oil and gas pipeline companies in the US. He has been a significant donor to Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns. In the 2024 election cycle, Warren contributed millions to Trump’s campaign efforts, making him one of the top donors from the oil and gas industry.

Energy Transfer has been waging abusive lawsuits against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace in the US for nearly a decade. These SLAPPs are blatant attempts to silence free speech, eraseIndigenous leadership of the Standing Rock movement, and punish solidarity with peaceful resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. In an infamous media interview, Warren stated explicitly that Greenpeace organisations “are going to pay for this.”[3] In February, a North Dakota District Court awarded the US-based pipeline company US$345 million in damages.

Greenpeace International is taking Energy Transfer to court in the Netherlands to hold it accountable under Dutch law and the European Union’s anti-SLAPP directive for the back-to-back abusive lawsuits filed in the US.

ENDS

Photos and Videos can be accessed from the Greenpeace Media Library.

Notes:

[1] Kelcy Warren’s reported takeover over of the Waterford Airport https://www.waterford-news.ie/news/contracts-between-waterford-airport-and-us-oil-billionaire-kelcy-warren-officially-signed_arid-90441.html, https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2026/0420/1569099-waterford-airport/, https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2026/01/06/texan-oil-pipeline-billionaire-behind-30m-investment-in-waterford-airport/, https://www.independent.ie/business/deal-with-us-billionaire-kelcy-warren-to-invest-30m-in-waterford-airport-near-completion/a2036430263.html

[2] Texas oil billionaire gets nod to build private whisky distillery on grounds of Kilkenny estate

[3] Warren stated that Greenpeace organisations “are going to pay for this.”

Contacts:

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org