Greenpeace activists removed after boarding NZ research vessel Tangaroa

Police are considering charges against Greenpeace protesters who occupied a state-owned ship in protest at seabed mining.

A group of activists boarded the Earth Sciences New Zealand owned- Tangaroa in Wellington Harbour on Saturday morning, Greenpeace said. One of the activists was dressed as US president Donald Trump and flew an American flag from railings on the ship, while another held a banner saying 'Don't Mine the Moana'.

However by early afternoon police said they had removed five protesters from the ship, and were considering charges.

Spokesperson Juressa Lee said the RV Tangaroa had just returned from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific, between Hawaii and Mexico, where it surveyed deep sea minerals for the company Glomar Minerals, which the environmental pressure group said could lead to a minerals grab in the Pacific.