© International Marine Consultancy Today, the icebreaker 'Arctic Sunrise' passed our Antwerp office. Curious about her intentions I surfed to the Greenpeace website where I quickly learned she was here for an open house event (scheduled for 16 and 17 June). During these Open Days Greenpeace wants to raise awareness for the uncontrolled deforestation in the Congo Basin. Logging in the Congo rainforest has increased significantly as peace has returned to the region. In 2004, encouraged by the World Bank, Congo announced its plans to step up the commercial logging of its rainforest. The timber industry is a major employer in Congo countries and thousands of workers rely on logging companies for basic healthcare and other services. Illegal logging is a significant problem as underpaid bureaucrats look to supplement their incomes by opening restricted areas to cutting. Recently, the World Bank announced it is planning an international fund of at least 250 million dollars to fight deforestation, which contributes to global warming. The targets for the fund are all countries that have significant rain forests. That includes countries in Latin America, Central Africa and Southeast Asia, especially but, mainly, significant carbon-dioxide emitters such as Brazil, Congo and Indonesia. When? The Open Days take place on 16 and 17 June from 13:00 till 18:00 Where? The Arctic Sunrise will be anchored at Scheldt Quay no 19 in Antwerp, close to the Grote Markt. Tags : arctic sunrise, Congo, Greenpeace