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The people, from environmental group Greenpeace, have been charged with possession of graffiti instruments following their alleged spray-painting of anti-coal slogans on coal ships yesterday morning.
The painted slogans, including "Rudd exporting CO2" and "Stop coal expansion", were painted on the sides of several ships using inflatable boats boarded from a Greenpeace ship.
The damaged vessels were located in the outer anchorage, two nautical miles east of Hay Point.
Queensland police reported that five of the men, aged 55, 47, 33, 32 and 28, were foreign nationals as were two women aged 31 and 28.
Two women and a man in their twenties were from Australia.
Greenpeace said the action highlighted the Rudd Government’s plans to rapidly expand Australia’s coal exports when the world is trying to cut global emissions.
The group is due to appear in the Mackay Magistrates Court on August 11.
