Greenpeace spokeswoman Svenja Koch told Maritime Journal that because of her age, the Beluga had become very expensive to run, repair and maintain.

All of Greenpeace's previous vessels, like Rainbow Warrior and Arctic Sunrise , were converted used ships. This time however, said Greenpeace project co-ordinator Gerhard Wallmeyer, 'buying a second-hand clipper, which we would have to refit for our needs, would be just as expensive as building a new ship'.

He said special demands will be placed on the clipper, which will be specially suitable not only for European rivers, canals and coastal waters but also for wetland regions because of her low 1.4 m draught. She will also have a much wider range and be more versatile than Beluga , capable of loading a container containing a laboratory or a communications centre.

' € 1m seems at first sight to be very high, but comparable ships of this size are normally much more expensive', said Greenpeace. Its new ship is 'functional but not luxurious' it said and most of the cost had gone into technical gear: machinery was costing €125,000 and sails and rigging about €150,000, it said.

Greenpeace chose the Fridtjof Nansen Shipyard from a dozen tenders a year ago because it was 'one of the few able to meet all the many and varied requirements for building a boat for Greenpeace'.