MOSCOW, August 18 (RAPSI) – Russian activist Tatiana Vasilyeva has been arrested by the Norwegian Coast Guard during a protest against Arctic drilling in the Barents Sea, Greenpeace announced on Friday.

All other activists, who participated in the protest, were also arrested. The Arctic Sunrise ship was seized, the statement reads.

According to Greenpeace, 35 activists “on inflatable boats and kayaks entered the exclusion zone of Statoil’s Korpfjell well, Norway’s most northern oil drilling site to date, and attached a giant globe to the rig Songa Enabler.”

The Norwegian Coast Guard ended “the peaceful protest” after several hours of demanding to stop the oil drilling, the organization said.

Truls Gulowsen, Head of Greenpeace Norway, stated that the Norwegian authorities did not have the right to board or remove their vessel. “Protest at sea is an internationally recognized lawful use of the sea, related to the freedom of navigation. We are taking action against Arctic drilling in an area where our rights to protest are protected under international law. The Norwegian government cannot unjustifiably interfere with that right,” he added.

Greenpeace is an organization engaging in protection of environment and promotion of peace, its website reads.