Israel arrests 3 Greenpeace activists who boarded Israel-bound ship carrying coal in protest

3 Greenpeace activists disrupt Israel-bound ship

JERUSALEM — Israel says it has arrested three Greenpeace activists who sneaked onto an Israel-bound coal ship on the high seas to protest the country’s plans to build a new coal-fueled power plant.

Greenpeace spokeswoman Hila Krupsky said on Thursday that the activists trailed the Orient Venus vessel on one of the group’s ships.

She says they got into inflatable dinghies and boarded the coal ship using rope ladders. They then barricaded themselves to a mast and put up a banner saying: “Coal Kills.”

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says police later escorted the three were off the ship. The protest delayed the delivery of the coal to the northern city of Hadera by several hours.

Israel maintains a coal-fired power station in Hadera and plans to build another in southern Israel.