On 14 October 2011, Greenpeace launched their third Rainbow Warrior vessel at a ceremony in Berne-Motzen, Germany. The Rainbow Warrior III (RW III) carries state-of-art communications equipment, two boats, and has room to carry a helicopter, all allowing the vessel to be first on the oceanic protest lines. The RW III is bigger, greener, and one of the cleanest in its class of sea faring vessels. The huge A-frame mast system can carry considerably more sails than a conventional mast on a vessel of this size, meaning that the ship will travel, as far as possible, powered by the wind. Systems to recycle the engine's heat and waste "grey" water, and a hull designed to minimize friction in the water, add to its green credentials.

Greenpeace has always used ships as an effective campaigning tool to protect the oceans. Of the three ships that Greenpeace has in its fleet, Rainbow Warrior was the first to be acquired in 1978. Since then, she has been a key crusader sailing around the world to protect the seas and its biodiversity. The Rainbow Warrior is not just a ship, it's a symbol of hope; when people think Greenpeace they think of Rainbow Warrior. The ship sails around the world as the saviour of the seas.

The first RW started life as a fishery research trawler. It was acquired by Greenpeace and renamed "Rainbow Warrior" based on a North American Cree Indian prophecy, which said, "When the world is sick and dying, the people will rise up like Warriors of the Rainbow..." Since then the Rainbow Warrior has played a pivotal role in many actions around the world for years. It has been part of many direct actions, from protesting against nuclear testing in the Pacific, to blocking coal ports, to tracking illegal fishing vessels; she has been recognized as a global icon fighting for environmental justice for more than 20 years.

In July 1985, as the RW was ready to confront nuclear testing by the French government in Moruroa Atoll, little did she know that the French government had allegedly already planned to bomb the ship. The "action" branch of the French foreign intelligence services is reported to have planted two bombs in the ship, which resulted in the killing of Fernando Pereira, one of the photographers on the ship. The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior was codenamed Operation Satanique. The scandal resulted in the resignation of the French Defence Minister  and twenty years after the incident, a report by the then head of French intelligence said that the attack was authorized by the erstwhile French President François Mitterrand.

The state sponsored act of violence against non-violent protest made the organization stronger. Greenpeace came back strongly by replacing the old ship with a new one and the Rainbow Warrior II (RW II) has continued to scream out loud in her crusade to save the oceans that you can bomb a ship, but you can never sink a Rainbow.

The RW II docked in India in 1996 for documentation on the hazardous impact of toxic ship breaking on human health on the Gujarat coast. In 2004, the ship came back in India on a three-part corporate accountability tour, a programme aimed at highlighting the apathy of companies to environmental responsibilities. Phase One was in Alang, where toxic ships were identified. Phase Two was in Mumbai, where the emphasis was on programmes commemorating the Bhopal gas tragedy. The third phase was in Kochi, where Greenpeace planned to expose the poisoning of the Periyar river.

The RW II retired on 16 August 2011, after 22 years of bearing witness. She was handed over to an NGO in Bangladesh at a small ceremony in Singapore. She is now serving as a floating hospital for victims of climate change impact.

The legacy of the ship, however, continues since it set sail on 14 November, The New Rainbow Warrior, arrived in London in November. Sailing up the Thames, the Rainbow Warrior III has moored at West India Dock after her maiden voyage from Berne-Motzen, Germany via Amsterdam. Later this year, the ship will be in the US to campaign against the burning of coal for electricity. It will then head south to the Amazon to draw attention to rainforest destruction.