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Here is a brief snippit of one of the articles on the “collision” of the M/S Steve Irwin and a Japanese whaling vessel:

Japanese whalers and radical anti-whaling activists trying to stop the hunters from pulling one of their kills out of the Antarctic Ocean collided Friday in an incident Tokyo condemned as “appalling and unforgivable.” No one was injured.

Activist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said his boat was chasing the Japanese ship dragging a whale on board when another Japanese boat shot in front of his vessel, causing a collision.

In a statement, the Institute of Cetacean Research — the Japanese government-affiliated organization that oversees the hunt — condemned the protesters’ actions, characterizing the collision as a “deliberate ramming” that occurred while the Japanese were trying to load a whale on board one of their ships.

Appartently this is the second “collision.”  Here is video of the first incident:

Here’s what Captain Paul Watson had to say:

“We told them to not continue their illegal whaling operations and that we would be blocking the stern slipway of the factory ship,” said Captain Paul Watson. “They decided to test our resolve and apparently expected us to retreat when they charged in ahead of us to make the transfer.”

Captain Watson said that the Steve Irwin became difficult to control under a barrage of metal objects, blasts from the water cannons, and the disorientation caused by the LRAD acoustic weapons that the whalers were using on the conservationists.

“I was dazed by the sonic blasts being used on us at close range.” said Captain Watson. “I have to admit it was difficult to concentrate with that devise being focused on us.”

Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments or read what others have to say about Whale Wars in gCaptain’s forum HERE.

Related Articles:

1. Cruising Antarctica 2009 – Cruise Ship Groundings, Whaling and Anti-Whaling
2. Forum Discussion: Animal Planet Whale Wars