PORTLAND – Tourists roamed the Rainbow Warrior over the holiday weekend as the vessel’s crew sought to promote environmental awareness.

The Greenpeace vessel has been in Portland since Thursday as part of the organization’s 30th anniversary. About 1,100 people boarded it between Saturday and Sunday while it was docked at the Maine State Pier.

The crew is on a 30-city “Take Back the Earth” tour to promote a broad liberal message. Greenpeace opposes President Bush’s energy policy, the destruction of mangroves for shrimp farms in South America and nuclear power.

“People have this misconception that Greenpeace is out there saving the world,” said Kevin Downing, a crew member who has been with Greenpeace for 21 years. “It’s other people. All Greenpeace does is carry their message a little farther.”

During tours, the crew tried to raise awareness of global warming, the dangers of coal-fired power plants and deforestation in the Amazon.

The vessel is the second Rainbow Warrior. The first was sunk by the French Secret Service in 1985.

This vessel is an environmentally friendly 180-foot ship, complete with solar panels for hot water and a sewage treatment plant.

In the vessel’s mess hall hang three photographs of men who died for their cause – Fernando Pereira, who died during the explosion of the first Rainbow Warrior; Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, who died of heatstroke on another Greenpeace mission in Ecuador; and Felix Van Chinh, who had a heart attack during an anti-nuclear action in Australia.

But the crew remains optimistic, and believes people are hearing the Rainbow Warrior’s message.

“It has traveled around the world so many times doing really nothing but good will,” said Jonathan Freeman, crew member who graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy. “Sometimes it isn’t so sweet for companies and governments, but it’s all good will.”