Japanese whaling ship 'cuts protest vessel in two'

Published on Wednesday 6 January 2010 21:34

WHAT has become an annual skirmish between conservationists and whalers escalated in dramatic fashion yesterday, after environmental campaigners accused Japanese sailors of a "vicious attack" that left their hi-tech boat in two pieces.

• The Japanese whaling ship bears down on the hi-tech Sea Shepherd vessel Ady Gil. Picture: Getty

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which has taken direct action to disrupt whaling fleets for two decades, promised a "real whale war" following the incident in the icy waters of Antarctica.

Its 900,000 vessel, Ady Gil, was "sliced in half" after being deliberately struck by Japanese whaling ship the Shonan Maru in the Southern Ocean, the group said.

Despite being the victim of what it described as "extremism", the group said it had no intention of scaling down its long-standing mission to stop Japan from conducting its "scientific" culls.

However, Japanese officials reacted angrily to the suggestion that the collision had been premeditated and accused Sea Shepherd of engaging in "extremely dangerous" behaviour.

Confrontation between the two groups is not new, but has usually extended only to the use of stink bombs and ropes by conservationists, while the whaling ships have retaliated with water hoses and sound cannon.

But the incident in the early hours yesterday, in remote waters some 1,300 nautical miles south of Tasmania, has heightened tension.

Paul Watson, who founded Sea Shepherd after breaking away from Greenpeace, said the whalers had set out to target the front of the boat.

"It was a vicious attack," he said. "The Shonan Maru turned and deliberately struck the Ady Gil, cutting it in half.

"The captain of the Ady Gil was trying to reverse to get out of its way when it happened," Mr Watson added. "If he hadn't done so, the Shonan Maru could have struck another part of the boat and killed someone."

The boat's six crew were rescued and taken on board another of Sea Shepherd's boats, the Bob Barker. One crewman, a New Zealander, is thought to have suffered two cracked ribs after being thrown to the deck in the collision.

The conservation group said a section of the high-speed trimaran's bow measuring 10ft had been destroyed in the collision with the Shonan Maru, which had left the vessel taking on water.

But Mr Watson, who has become embroiled in a war of words over the years with Greenpeace, whom he accused of lacking the resolve to tackle the whaling problem, said the loss of the Ady Gil would not deter the organisation from pursuing the Japanese fleet, which this year plans to kill 935 minke and 50 fin whales.

He added: "The loss of a single whale is of more importance to us, and we will not lose the Ady Gil in vain. This blow simply strengthens our resolve. It does not weaken our spirit.

"Once we have finished attending to the Ady Gil, we will be back chasing them, cutting their quota and their profits. We still have another two months left of this."

Japan's Fisheries Agency condemned the tactics employed by Sea Shepherd. "These acts of sabotage that threaten our country's whaling ships and crew were extremely dangerous," it said. "It is totally unforgivable."

The Institute of Cetacean Research, a body funded by the Japanese government which organises the culls, said the Ady Gil, which holds the record for the fastest global circumnavigation, had come "within collision distance" of the Shonan Maru's bow, thrown stink bombs and dangled a rope in the water that could have become entangled in the whaling ship's rudder and propeller.

It said: "Contrary to its claims to be a marine wildlife conservation group, in reality (Sea Shepherd] are dedicated to fundraising and to spread violence under pretext of protecting whales.

"(Its] obstructionist activities threaten the lives and property of those involved in our research, are very dangerous and cannot be forgiven."

The claims and counterclaims are not new, and they epitomise the cat-and-mouse chase in one of the world's most remote and isolated regions.

Australia and New Zealand, which both have Antarctica territories and are among the closest nations to the waters where the hunt goes on, have urged both sides to show restraint, warning that they are far from rescue teams if anything goes wrong.

Peter Garrett, Australia's environment minister, yesterday criticised the clashes. He said: "Our strongest condemnation applies to any violent or dangerous activity that takes place in these remote and inhospitable waters."

The nation's Green Party has proposed sending a naval surveillance vessel to police events in the Southern Ocean, while other opposition politicians have called for action to be taken against reconnaissance flights launched by Japanese whalers from Australian airports to chart campaigners' movements.