Greenpeace says it has left Russian waters under threat of gunfire

A Greenpeace icebreaker in the Russian Arctic without permissionto protest offshore energy exploration says it is leaving after being threatened with gunfire.

Crew on board the Arctic Sunrise say the ship is steaming out of the Kara Sea after being boarded and searched by the Russian coast guard.

Crew member Christy Ferguson says four unarmed coast guard officers boarded the ship early this morning after the Arctic Sunrise deployed several small boats to protest the activities of a seismic ship.

That ship is operated by a Russian oil company and western multinational ExxonMobil.

She says there were 4 1/2 hours of negotiation before the Greenpeace crew was told that it must leave or be fired on.

The ship is now heading back to Norwegian seas under escort by the coast guard.