The skipper of a protest boat arrested near East Cape on Saturday will be appearing in Tauranga District Court on Friday.

Elvis Teddy, skipper of the fishing boat San Pietro is charged with operating a vessel in an unsafe manner, under the Maritime Transport Act. Police boarded his boat on Saturday morning during a protest against survey operations in the Raukumara basin conducted by the Brazilian Company Petrobras' vessel Orient Explorer.

Elvis was removed from his boat by police and brought to Tauranga on board HMNZS Taupo. Tauranga police say Elvis was released on bail Saturday night.

San Pietro, manned by local iwi, was with three other protest boats, stationed in front of the Orient Explorer.

After repeated warnings the three other boats moved away but the San Pietro stayed and deployed buoys and fishing lines in the path of the survey ship, causing "grave safety concerns" for the ship's master, says Police Superintendent Bruce Dunstan.

San Pietro is owned by East Coast iwi Te Whanau a Apanui and is part of the flotilla including Greenpeace and the Nuclear Free Flotilla, in its third week of opposing deep sea oil exploration.

Petrobras is operating under a five-year licence granted by the Government.

Police say they are still reviewing the evidence from yesterday's events and are not discounting laying further charges.
The maximum penalty is term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or fine not exceeding $10,000.