The Sea Shepherd vessel, Bob Barker (front), and the Japanese tanker Sun Laurel in the Antarctic, taken and released by the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) February 20, 2013. Credit REUTERS/The Institute of Cetacean Research/Handout
MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Anti-whaling activists called on Wednesday for Australia to send a naval vessel to the Southern Ocean after a confrontation in which they said a Japanese whaling ship collided with two of their protest vessels, damaging their flagship.
“The Nisshin Maru has rammed the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker, but both vessels continue to hold their positions,” Paul Watson, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society which runs the protest boats, said in a statement.
Watson’s side of the story can be found HERE
Watson also accused Japanese coastguard personnel of throwing concussion grenades at their protest ships during a confrontation in the frigid waters near Antarctica and said the Bob Barker was taking on water in its engine room.
Japanese research vessel Nisshin Maru (R) collides with the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin in Mackenzie Bay, Antarctica in this handout picture taken on February 20, 2013. Image credit: REUTERS/Tim Watters/Sea Shepherd Australia/Handout
The Nisshin Maru blasting the Steve Irwin with water cannons.
© Sea Shepherd/ Glenn Lockitch 2013
The Nisshin Maru ramming the Bob Barker. ©Sea Shepherd / Marianna Baldo 2013
Australia said it was confirming the report of the incident. Neither the Japanese government nor its whaling authority immediately responded to the Sea Shepherd’s account of the clash.
The Sea Shepherd group has clashed with the Japanese fleet for nine whaling seasons in the southern hemisphere summer, and has lot one of its ships, the high-speed trimaran Ady Gil which sank after a collision with a whaler in January 2010.
In the latest incident, the activists had been attempting to prevent an 8,000-tonne Japanese factory ship refuelling from a tanker when the collision occurred, Sea Shepherd director Bob Brown told journalists in the Australian city of Melbourne.
Brown, a former Australian Greens party leader before quitting politics, said the two Sea Shepherd ships had been repeatedly rammed and called on Australia’s government to despatch a naval ship to the area to calm the tension.
“It is illegal to be ramming ships in any seas anywhere on the planet. It is illegal for a tanker to be carrying heavy fuel oil into Antarctic waters under international law,” Brown said.
Australia sent an armed customs patrol ship to the Southern Ocean in 2008 to gather evidence of Japanese whaling methods for a legal challenge.
Australia has filed a complaint against Japan at the world court in the Hague to stop Southern Ocean scientific whaling. A decision could come this year.
“The government condemns so-called ‘scientific’ whaling in all waters and we urge everyone in the ocean to observe safety at sea,” Australia’s Environment Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
Japan introduced scientific whaling to skirt a commercial whaling ban under a 1986 moratorium. It argues it has a right to monitor the whales’ impact on its fishing industry.
A U.S. appeals court in December issued an injunction ordering Sea Shepherd and Paul Watson not to physically attack or endanger the five-ship Japanese whaling fleet. (Reporting by Rob Taylor; Editing by Robert Birsel)
(c) 2013 Thomson Reuters, Click For Restrictions
Taking into account the tactics of the Sea Sheppard and her not so , you know, "crew"… I'd say that they are damned lucky not to be crab food right about now.
The Hague needs to arrest each one of their crew for terrorism and / or harassment.
I live in Japan and work for a Japanese company in the fishing industry, not whaling, and to know that these people that have no morals and are actively attacking other ships is atrocious. Maybe it might just take for the Japanese to have to fight back for this crap to stop.
There are other safer ways to protest…. hit them in the wallet.
Agree completly the Japanese Whaling fleet is not breaking any laws.. sea ship sh!t stay clear
There is absolutly nothing wrong with hunting whales so long as it is done legalaly…. just like hunting dear or bear here in the USA…In fact the dear here in Marlyland is nothing more than over grown rats… as the only hunter is the privately owned vechile
Agree with Rob, but don’t know if it could be classed as terrorism, piracy perhaps.
The sea-shepard master(s) has a blatant disregard for Collision Regulations, by NOT taking action to avoid a collision in the first place, and from my sea-going perspective, seems they put themselves in a prime position to be hit. The authorities should suspend their certificates, as it’s making professional mariners look like idiots and a mockery of the IMO.
Im anti-whaling %100, but the public is already aware of whats happening; let the courts finish it.
Bob Brown's an idiot. Refueling is not illegal.
MARPOL says that heavy oil is not to be carried as cargo or used as fuel in all areas south of 60 degrees south. http://www.imo.org/mediacentre/pressbriefings/pages/44-marpol-amends.aspx
and your point is? The NM does not use HFO so why would the SL haul it?
I think it's a bold face lie that they don't use HFO. Prove it..
Nice try kid.
Nice try kid.
Try?
This person is a paid troll for the Japanese whaling industry. There obviously is no Jamie McCroskey. It's funny that her and one other "person" are the only people with positive comments on the whale poachers official page and anyone who argues with them gets blocked and has their comments deleted, lol..
Jeremy Freund "This person is a paid troll for the Japanese whaling industry." LMAO! "Prove it." With your logic, are you backwards suggesting you are paid as a troll for sscs???
sscs's attempts to risk, no PROMOTE a spill while transferring fuel in a whale sanctuary & pristine marine reserve is disgusting, unlawful (against IMO regs & a threat to MARPOL), in breach of the injunction, offensive, stupid & an absolute disgrace.
I have no idea why you'd support that bullshit Jeremy… Why DO you support that Jeremy?
There are certain areas in the world where it is illegal to use HFO or use it to refuel or bunker
Even if what the whaling ships is doing is illegal the activists have no right to prevent refuelling or any other vigilante type actions, just gives them a bad name. I may have sympathies with their cause but not their tactics.
Jamie, Refueling isn’t illegal, but new MARPOL regulations in efffect as of last year make it illegal to burn or even have HFO/IFO aboard in the arctic region – which I believe is defined as south of 60 degrees South.
I understand that, what’s missing is any proof that they are hauling HFO/IFO.
You had to know this was coming. He (Watson, not Capt BTW) has been hitting their ships for 10 years. Surprise they didn't strike back sooner. Not justifying it, just expected it.
Boy, sure looks like a high speed collision…I think I can make out the trace of a wake from the Japanese ship. Danger danger!
@mac mccrodden Don't you think whaling has to stop?
The Japanese will not stop until they have emptied the oceans.
Minke whales are the most abundant whale species of all, The US representative to the IWC admitted that the ICR could harvest 2000 a year and still not have a negative affect on their population. Stop the drama, replace it with facts.
Sheppard – terrorist for sure..
The Japanese could not care less what anyone else in the world thinks, dirty, selfish little bastards!
Racist much?
That the wqay of life of the Japs smile and stab you in the back.
yes there is no need for whaling,the USA MISSED their chance they did not use enough bombs,and the japs stealing from aussies waters is a disgusting disregardful of aussie maritime laws,sink the thieves i ,i would ,i will donate more money to sea Shepard now,stuff the greedy japs.
What a hell. Is ther now that grup of hoodlum calling up a help, they wanted a warship in the scene to be protect them.Let e’m have a punch, real munisment by sending em’ dow into Davy Jones Locker
I'm not justifying the whale killing (we all know it's not research) I'm just saying Watson has been hitting them for years, when they hit back, he cries foul.
Pretty childish comment, Mr. Mccrodden…Thought you coud do better…
Watson and his followers are blithering idiots!!
Two vessels refuelling at sea are restricted in their ability to Manoeuvre, according to the collision regulations so theoretically the Protestors are at fault but I guess Australia will ignore that, as probably none of the guys on that ship will have proper licences anyway!
I think sooner or later Japan maybe forced into a position to send a Frigate or a cutter Task force to protect their whalers. When that Happens, SSC will be facing a Frigate and a DDG with gun point right at them. Then they will realize the game is over.
Japanies will not stop, that’s it
HERE is a movie of the collision collision
, but the truth is that this captain is crashing them few times and ..nobody’s telling him smth.
Time to go get our G.E.D. and then we can learn the finer points of grammar…like spelling…you clown
that;s the video:
http://seajobs.bg/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-%D0%B0%D0%BA%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5-%D0%BE%D1%82-sea-shepher-%D0%B2-%D1%81%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%8A%D1%81%D1%8A%D0%BA-%D1%81-%D1%8F%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%86%D0%B8-168-obiavi.html
…..ILLEGALLY KILLING HELPLESS WHALES…
SPONSORED BY THOSE FINE FOLKS WHO BROUGHT US PEARL HARBOR.
Watson and his minions are nothing more than Eco-Terrorists and they should be treated as such. Fined, Jailed and/or Eradicated.