Sea Shepherd Has Shut Down Illegal Japanese Whaling
Steve Irwin Joins Pursuit of Nisshin Maru
Position: 63 Degrees 43 Minutes South 81 Degrees 26 Minutes East
The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin joined the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker this morning at 0700 Hours (Sydney time). Both Sea Shepherd ships are now on the tail of the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru.
The Japanese fleet was running fast to the Northeast not knowing that the Steve Irwin was on a course of Southwest coming directly for them. With the fleet doing 15 knots, and the Steve Irwin doing 15 knots, the Steve Irwin and the whaling fleet closed the gap at 30 knots cutting the rendezvous time in half.
The Steve Irwin sat motionless by an iceberg for two hours at a distance of thirty miles to allow the Nisshin Maru to continue towards it. At a distance of only three miles, the Steve Irwin got underway and intercepted the Nisshin Maru.
As the Steve Irwin passed by the Nisshin Maru, the factory ship turned on their water cannons and were surprised when the Steve Irwin responded with a more powerful water cannon that had a couple of the whalers diving for the bridge doors as the frigid water struck their bridge wing deck.
The Steve Irwin is presently tailing the Nisshin Maru a few cable lengths and slightly to the port side of the factory ship. Across from the Steve Irwin, the Bob Barker is tailing the Nisshin Maru slightly to the starboard side.
Following in the wake of the Nisshin Maru are the Japanese vessels Shonan Maru 2, Yushin Maru 1 and Yushin Maru 2. There is no sign of the Yushin Maru 3.
Six ships, two from Sea Shepherd and four vessels from the Japanese fleet, are heading at full speed northeastwardly.
“Not a single whale has died since the Bob Barker intercepted the fleet at 0100 Hours on February 6th. It is now the third day that the whaling fleet has been unable to kill a whale. We intend to turn these three whaling free days into three whaling free weeks,” said Captain Paul Watson. “I am confident that once again we will severely cut their kill quotas and we will once again negate their profits.”
The Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker have enough fuel to pursue the whaling fleet for another month.
“It does not matter where they go, east or west along the Antarctic Coast,” said Steve Irwin 1st Officer Locky MacLean. “We intend to stick to their rear like glue and we will not allow a single whale to be loaded onto the decks of that foul floating abattoir.”
There are 41 crew (29 men and 12 women) on board the Steve Irwin from Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, France, Japan, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States (15 nationalities).
There are 30 (6 women and 24 men) crew on board the Bob Barker from Australia, New Zealand, United States, Sweden, United Kingdom, and South Africa (6 nationalities).
| Saturday, February 06, 2010 |
Bob Barker Rammed by Illegal Whaler
At 1209 PM Fremantle, Australia time, the Yushin Maru 3 intentionally rammed the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker, penetrating it’s hull and endangering the lives of it¹s crew. The collision occurred at 65 degrees 21 South, 67 degrees 58 East, about 180 miles off Cape Darnley in the Australian Antarctic Territory.
The Bob Barker had been actively blocking the slipway of the Nisshin Maru, the Japanese whaling fleet’s factory ship when the collision occurred. Four harpoon ships, the Yushin Maru 1, 2, and 3 and Shonan Maru 2, were circling and making near passes to the stern and bow of the Sea Shepherd vessel. The Bob Barker did not move from its position. At which point, the Yushin Maru 3 intentionally rammed the Bob Barker, creating a 3-foot long 4-inch deep gash in the mid starboard side of the Sea Shepherd vessel above the waterline.
No crew was injured during the collision. The Bob Barker continues to block the slipway of the Nisshin Maru, preventing the transfer of slaughtered whales and effectively shutting down illegal whaling operations.
The incident demonstrates a continued escalation of violence by the illegal whalers in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Said Captain Paul Watson from the bridge of the Steve Irwin, currently en route to join the action, “Because the whalers got away basically scot-free with the outrageous sinking of the Ady Gil, they now apparently think they can do whatever they want and they appear to have no qualms about endangering Sea Shepherd crew. What we really need is for the governments of Australia and New Zealand to step up and start enforcing maritime laws in these waters, or who know what the whalers will do next. Australian and New Zealand lives are at risk every day in these waters.”
The crew of the Bob Barker noticed that the Yushin Maru 3 stopped moving in the water shortly after the impact, and appeared to be falling behind as the Bob Barker maintained its position on the stern of the Nisshin Maru. It’s possible the Yushin Maru 3 damaged itself in the collision.
The Japanese whalers are far more aggressive this year than in past campaigns. |
| Friday, February 05, 2010 |
Update: Bob Barker Shuts Down Illegal Whaling
The Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker has shut down illegal whaling operations in Antarctica. The ship with its volunteer crew has caught up with the Nisshin Maru factory ship and is actively blocking its slipway. The Nisshin Maru will be unable to process whales as a result of Sea Shepherd’s efforts.
The Bob Barker intends to stay in this position off the stern of the Nisshin Maru until the whalers return home or until they run out of fuel. Sea Shepherd’s other ship, the Steve Irwin, is racing to the area to join the action.
Four other whaling vessels are in the area surrounding the Nisshin Maru and Bob Barker. They include: the Yushin Maru 1, 2, and 3 as well as the notorious Shonan Maru 2, which one month ago today sank the Sea Shepherd Ady Gil in an act of blatant aggression.
Says Captain Chuck Swift, “As we sit in the shadow of this cetacean death machine, I’m proud to captain this ship and fine crew on such a noble mission. We will end these illegal operations once and for all, thanks to support from our staff and supporters the world over.”
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