Whaling ship off the coast of Macquarie Island, a protected world heritage area.

With Christmas Island battling a spill of phosphate and fuel oil making national headlines some of the leading environmentalists are equally disturbed by illegal fishing in the Australia’s protected marine World Heritage Areas.

In a recent call to action the head of the Australian Greens party, Senator Bob Brown, is leading a twitter campaign against the Japanese whaling ship Yushin Maru III which he claims is now inside Australian territorial waters and the World Heritage area of the subantarctic Macquarie Island.

According to Senator Bob Brown, the activist group Sea Shepherd has informed him that it’s vessel Bob Barker has followed the Japanese harpoon ship into the area between Macquarie Island proper and its off offshore islets, an area which is 4 to 6 miles inside Australia’s territorial waters. Macquarie Island, famous for its huge penguin and seal colonies, is part of Tasmania and was declared a World Heritage area 20 years ago.

“It is utterly embarrassing that the Australian government is allowing this harpoon ship’s incursion. I have sent a message to the Prime Minister urging appropriate action – that is, for Tokyo to have this ship exit immediately,” Senator Brown said via his twitter account @SenatorBobBrown.

The senator also mentioned a new bill to, according to Brown, ”…ensure that there was a patrol boat with the authority of Australia in our Antarctic waters, if the Japanese come south again next season … to engage in the slaughter of hundreds of these warm blooded mammals that Australians want to see protected.”

Environment spokesman Greg Hunt said this week the opposition would consider supporting the Greens bill, although it had yet to see the detail.

Senator Brown’s political party the “Australian Greens” was formed in 1992, however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and is considered one of the world’s first Green parties. The party currently holds 9 seats in the Australian senate, one member in the lower house of the Parliament of Australia and has grown in national importance since the 2010 federal election where the Greens received more than 1.6 million (about 13%) of the Senate vote.

Maybe gCaptain’s editors have watched one too many James Bond movies but our answer is yes. Jetpack technology has existed for decades but the propulsion method of a traditional JetPack, rocket fuel, is not something a sane person would strap to their back. But what if it was water? With a backpack weight of only 28lbs and with a total lift height of nearly 10 meters JetLev hopes to be the next big product in recreational sports but the price tag, nearly $100,ooo USD, makes this device too expensive for all but the mega-wealthy.

Perhaps for commercial use?

The manufacturer says no, it’s strictly for fun, but maybe smarter minds will find uses for the technology. Maybe the solution to piracy is an ejection seat for ships or maybe jetpacks will prove useful in repelling boarders. Doubtful, but there is hope. The crew of Sea Shepard always seems willing to test crazy ideas and we can think of no better television opportunity than watching an arctic whale wars jetpack attack.

In an effort to fool the pirates the Steve Irwin used a camouflage paint job with a large “77” placed on the bow, even fooling a U.S. military Blackhawk helicopter that mistook the vessel for a Dutch warship.

Sea Shepherd was hoping that the pirates would make the same mistake, but three skiffs supposedly approached Steve Irwin and tailed the vessel for a few miles. The pirates appeared to be uncertain and backed off to check out a nearby container ship.

The Sea Shepherd’s Captain, Captain Lockhart MacLean, notified naval authorities in the area and warned of the container ship that the skiffs were approaching.

The skiffs eventually backed off and both ships.

Via Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Photo: The Steve Irwin with her new camo paint job.  Credit Michael Morrell via Sea Shepherd

Japanese whalers may cut out from Antarctic waters early and head home as the annual expedition continues to be dogged with confrontations from environmentalists.

Japan’s Fisheries Agency said that Japanese whalers have suspended their operations since Feb. 10, pointing to harassment from the anti-whaling environmental group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

“The Sea Shepherd boats have been chasing the Nisshin Maru very closely and continuously,” said Fisheries Agency official Tatsuya Nakaoku. “We must firstly think about the safety of the (Nisshin Maru) crew.”

Mr. Nakaoku said the Nisshin Maru is taking a break from the hunt while it assesses the conditions. While this would not be the first time for a whaling trip to be cut short, it would be unusual for the fleet to turn back early citing aggravation from the militant environmental group, now in its seventh maritime campaign against Japanese whalers. The whaling season typically runs until mid-March. Mr. Nakaoku emphasized that the decision to stop the hunt has not been made and declined to specify how long the suspension will last. The last time a whaling ship returned home early was in 2007 when one of the ships caught fire following an encounter with the conservation group, according to Mr. Nakaoku.

It has been an especially tense season for the Japanese whalers, who have been fending off confrontations from the activists since the start of the year. Sea Shepherd environmentalists lobbed stink bombs and other objects at ships in early January. Paul Watson, the head of the U.S.-based group and the captain of one of the boats pursuing the whalers, said the group most recently hurled 25 meters of rotten butter and more stink bombs onto the decks of the whaling fleet on Feb. 9, the day before Japan suspended operations.

“Oh yeah I think you can very well say this is a victory,” Mr. Watson told JRT by telephone from the Steve Irwin boat in the Antarctic over the potential early end to the hunt. “This is our best year yet. Every year we come down stronger and every year the whaling fleet comes down weaker.” The Sea Shepherd added a high-speed boat to its fleet this year, making it easier to track and disrupt the whalers’ ability to hunt. Japan has returned in recent years without fulfilling its catch quota due to increasing harassment from the campaigners.  Continue reading

While the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society did confirm on their website that they did in fact strong arm the whalers out of the whaling ground, this report from the New Zealand Herald is saying the whole thing is a bluff:

Activists who have led the fight against Japan’s whaling operations in the Southern Ocean say reports of the annual whale hunt being suspended are a bluff.

Regular attempts by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to interrupt hunts have caused irritation in Japan.

“Putting safety as a priority, the fleet has halted scientific whaling for now,” said Tatsuya Nakaoku, an official at the Fisheries Agency.

“We find Sea Shepherd’s harassment extremely regrettable.”

But Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson said he was suspicious about the true movements of the Japanese.

Whaling boat the Nishin Maru was in the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica and could be returning to the Southern Ocean via the Indian Ocean, he told Radio New Zealand.

“I believe that they might be trying to head across the South Atlantic and into the Indian Ocean to come on the other side of their whaling grounds to start again and then they’ll send their harpoon vessels west.” Continue reading

Just who is telling the truth?  We’ll have to see…

Photo: The Yushin Maru No. 3 and the Nisshin Maru flee from the Bob Barker (photos by Sam Sielen)

At around 0900 hours (Australian Eastern Standard Time), Sea Shepherd’s ship the Bob Barker found a harpoon vessel on the edge of the ice at 148 degrees west. The unidentified Japanese vessel attempted to move south to draw the Bob Barker away from the Nisshin Maru.

At 1500 Hours AEST, some 60 miles to the North, Sea Shepherd’s flagship vessel the Steve Irwin found the Japanese harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #2sitting in the ice.

The Gojira and Sea Shepherd’s helicopter the Nancy Burnet, continue to search for the Nisshin Maru, Japan’s floating abattoir.

Read the full press release HERE.

WOW, this should be interesting…

According to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society website, the Japanese whale hunters hunters have acquired the futuristic, ultra high-speed trimaran the Ady Gil, formerly known as the Earthrace.  You know, the one that recently set the world record for global circumnavigation.  The vessel was unveiled at fundraising event in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 17th, 2009.

Sea Shepherd is currently preparing for it’s 6th Whale Defense Campaign Operation Waltzing Matilda. The campaign will launch from Australia in early December with Sea Shepherd’s flagship Steve Irwin, which will be accompanied to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary by the new Ady Gil. Together, the ships and the volunteer crew will intervene in illegal Japanese whaling in Antarctica.

Due to its speed capabilities, up to 50 knots, Captain Paul Watson (Sea Shepherd President and Founder) intends to use the Ady Gil to intercept and physically block the harpoon ships from illegally slaughtering whales.

Says Captain Watson, “We’re very excited that the Ady Gil will be joining the Steve Irwin in Antarctica this campaign. With these two ships, we will mount the most ambitious and aggressive effort to date to obstruct the slaughter of the whales in the Southern Ocean.”

Says Chuck Swift, Deputy CEO in charge of ship’s operations, “The Ady Gil gives us the speed necessary to catch and stay with the Japanese whaling fleet. We are very optimistic that with these two ships, and some other surprises, we will shut down whaling in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary.”

Let the comments fly!

Fellow blogger D. Peter Boucher of Nautical Log brings us a post regarding the controversial anti-whaling vessel MS Steve Irwin.  The Nautical Log gives these opinions on the MS Steve Irwin in their post titled “A Most Dangerous Precedent“

According to CAPT. Paul Watson, the Master of the Dutch ship MS “Steve Irwin”, his vessel is due to arrive in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia on January 17th. 2009. This is the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel that is engaged in anti-whaling activities in the Southern Ocean. It operates without any legal authority from any government including the United Nations. It is the apparent intention of this Dutch ship to request refuelling so as to resume its Southern Ocean illegal activities. As has been well documented by the series “Whale Wars” in years past these activities, as conducted, are illegal under International Maritime Law.

Since the vessel has a Flag State of The Netherlands it is the duty of that Flag State to prevent further illegal action by this vessel and its crew. In an incident this season the MS “Steve Irwin” was in a close quarter situation with the WRV “Kaiko Maru”. It is now the duty of the Netherlands maritime safety authority to conduct a full investigation to determine just what happened and resolve if indeed the MS “Steve Irwin” is to blame or is a contributing factor to this incident. This vessel should NOT be refuelled until this is done and will thereby be unable to sail from Hobart until the IMO-ISM investigation is completed. Also at that time the Master may be questioned about an “incitement to riot” fee of US$10,000.00 offered any person who can delay the WHV “Yushun Maru#2″ from undergoing and completing repairs in Surabaya, Indonesia. This is, in and of itself, a crime under UNCLOS and again deserves a separate full inquiry.

Also at this same time it is the duty of the Port State together with the Flag State, that is Australia and The Netherlands, to examine all the Officers documentation for correct position held Licensing, its validity and that it is properly issued. In addition all crewmembers should have their seafarers papers inspected for validity and that their STCW training is valid, current and properly issued.

Why is NAUTICAL LOG so concerned about this vessel? Those of you who are seafarers readily understand the volume of documentation, training and personal expense required for us to pursue our careers at sea. For those of you who are not professional seafarers some research on the Internet will show you just what is required. Yet this vessel, MS “Steve Irwin” is allowed to prowl the seas as it chooses. By NOT stopping this vessel now this week and bringing her crew under full investigation is setting a most dangerous precedent. If she is allowed to sail every seafarer in the world will be legally justified to obtain an exemption in this same manner from IMO, Certification, Licensing, STCW, TWIC, ISM Codes, UNCLOS et cetera et cetera, under this Legal Precedent set by the MS “Steve Irwin”. The time has passed when enough is enough, seafarers action is needed, why is this Captain an exception and none of the rest of us are given these privileges. It is my most sincere hope that this exemption will be claimed by the Australian seafarers unions, followed by the unions of other maritime nations. In fairness what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Since this post, the MS Steve Irwin has refueled in Hobart and is set to depart today to continue their anti-whaling efforts according to Australia’s The Age.  Nautical Log follows with this post following The Netherlands’ and Australia’s allowance and aid for the continuation of it’s illegal missions.

Fellow seafarers you will be “pleased” to know that the Dutch ship MS “Steve Irwin”, CAPT. Paul Watson, has arrived in Hobart, TAZ. According to “The Mercury” a Tasmanian newspaper the vessel will refuel on Tuesday and then return to sea.  So now we have an international maritime disgrace and a legal precedent set.

This action by the Australian Government and lack of action by The Netherlands Government will allow all the rest of the world’s mariners to seek similar exemption from their maritime authorities. One is now free to prowl the Oceans without papers, crash into other ships, throw acid, board ships under way and generally behave like a maritime thug. So why, one might well ask, do we bother with the Horn of Africa anti-piracy patrol.

Just contact your friendly local maritime law firm to claim this Legal Precedent exemption. NAUTICAL LOG used to be a big supporter of IMO, ISM Code, STCW, MCA et cetera as a former Ocean Master, cruise ship Safety Officer and STCW Instructor. Not any more. NAUTICAL LOG will not renew any maritime papers we now hold ever again. A small protest perhaps but a case of “putting ones money where ones mouth is”.

Now let’s hear your opinions in the comments.

LINK

NAUTICAL LOG

Click here to view the embedded video.

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You can find gCaptain’s Sea Shepard articles from last year’s hunt HERE. The official television show website can be found HERE.

The Whaling – Conservation controversy in the Southern Ocean has escalated to violence. Earlier today it appears that the Japanese Coast Guard fired on The Sea Shepard’s vessel Steve Irwin, and its captain Paul Watson.

In a video, Watson is seen removing a bullet from a Kevlar vest he was waring. Video clip #9 show removal of the projectile. Understand that this story is breaking and there are always several sides.The Sea Shepard site is here.ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corp) is reporting:But Japan’s Government denies that, saying it only launched “noise balls” – loud explosive deterrent devices – after repeated attacks on its whaling ship by Sea Shepherd.Foreign Ministry spokesman Tomohiko Taniguchi says no shots were fired.  The ABC post is here.Thanks to Peters Points for leading us to this story.(Ed. note: It is not beyond both sides to embellish such events. None the less, the developments bear watching.)

___________________________This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the BitterEnd of the net. 

In breaking news from the Antarctic Japanese whalers have taken two activists hostage after they boarded the whaling ship Yushin Maru. The BBC tells us;

The Sea Shepherd campaign group said the two – a Briton and an Australian – had been assaulted and tied to the radar mast by the Japanese crew.

They said they wanted charges of kidnap to be filed in Australia.

Minoru Morimoto, of the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), admitted the pair had been detained but denied they had been assaulted or harmed.

He said the Sea Shepherd’s accusations that the two men were tied up were “completely untrue”.

“It is illegal to board another country’s vessels on the high seas. As a result, at this stage, they are being held in custody while decisions are made on their future,” he added.

You can read the full report HERE and watch the video HERE.

UPDATE 17Jan:

The AP wire tells us:

Australia said Thursday it would send a ship to pick up two anti-whaling activists who jumped on a Japanese harpoon vessel from a rubber boat in Antarctic waters, offering a solution to a tense, two-day standoff on the high seas.

The protesters from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society scored a victory with their stunt, bringing Japan’s whale hunt to a standstill while officials scrambled to resolve the faceoff.

The Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking will pick up the two activists, an Australian and a Briton, and return them to their anti-whaling vessel as soon as the details can be arranged, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said. Continue Reading…