Planes sent to Qld coal ship protest Greenpeace activists have boarded a coal carrier in the Coral Sea to hand over a letter of protest. PLANES have been sent to check on six Greenpeace activists protesting on board a coal carrier heading to South Korea from Queensland. The environmentalists boarded the MV Meister on Wednesday morning in the Coral Sea, northeast of Townsville, to protest against coal exports from Australia. The ship was targeted because it departed from the Abbot Point coal port, on Queensland's coast, where a number of terminal expansions have been proposed. MV Meister had just sailed through the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, which more than 4000 ships sail across each year. At sunrise on Wednesday the activists left the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior on inflatable boats and drew up alongside the coal ship. They scaled the side using ladders and have been seen sitting at the bow. The Department of Customs and Border Protection told AAP that two light planes had been deployed to check on the ship, which is now outside Australian waters. Queensland police are also investigating. The Rainbow Warrior, which has been in Australia since March, is shadowing the coal carrier. An activist onboard the MV Meister, Emma Giles, says she's willing to stay on board until it reaches South Korea in about a week. "We have no idea how it's going to play out at this stage," the 34-year-old Queenslander told AAP. Greenpeace wants the state and federal governments to stop all port expansions and new developments on the Queensland coast, which they say will damage the reef. The MV Meister protest is understood to be the first direct action Greenpeace has staged in Australian waters. The Queensland Resources Council, the state's peak mining body, says the protest is pointless and dangerous. "It is clear from real-time vessel tracking images that Greenpeace was laying in wait for its photo opportunity," CEO Michael Roche said. The council earlier said all ships that depart ports between Bundaberg and Cairns sail through the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. It is not known what charges or other legal action the activists may face.