Japanese whale poaching vessel, Nisshin Maru, rams S. Korean fuel tanker, Sea Shepherd ships Sam Simon, Steve Irwin, and Bob Barker

 

JAPAN ORDERS AUSTRALIAN FLAGGED SHIP TO LEAVE AUSTRALIAN WATERS THEN ATTACKS

 

The Nisshin Maru rams the Steve Irwin as the
Sea Shepherd fleet block whaling fleet’s illegal refueling efforts.
have been rammed by the Japanese whaling fleet’s massive factory vessel, theNisshin Maru. The floating slaughter-house is eight times the mass of the Steve Irwin.

The Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin were behind Sun Laurel,Steve Irwin on portside, Bob Barker on starboard.

On load-speaker, the Shonan Maru No. 2 ordered Sea Shepherd’s Australian flagged ship, the SSS Sam Simon, which is located in the Australian Antarctic Territory, to leave the area on the orders of the Government of Japan.  Concussion grenades were thrown at the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin by the crew of the Nissin Maru.

Captain Peter Hammarstedt radioed the whaling fleet’s factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru, and told them that theBob Barker intended to maintain course and speed, that the moral and legal obligation to avoid the collision was on the Nisshin Maru.

The Nisshin Maru, turned and was approaching from starboard. It nearly collided with Bob Barker, before it turned into Steve Irwin, and rammed the Sea Shepherd ship’s stern.

The Nisshin Maru continued on its collision course, and rammed the portside of the Steve Irwin.

The Nisshin Maru then rammed the Bob Barker. The Steve Irwin increased its speed ahead to avoid the Nisshin Maru.

The Bob Barker took the Steve Irwin’s position on the portside of the Sun Laurel.

The Steve Irwin circled back, and the Nisshin Maru pushed the Bob Barker into the Sun Laurel, sandwiching theBob Barker between itself and the Sun Laurel. The Nisshin Maru then fell back behind the Bob Barker, and rammed full speed into the portside stern of the Sun Laurel, shattering their portside life-raft, and destroying the davit to launch the other life-raft.  The Nisshin Maru then rammed the Bob Barker again from behind, destroying one of their radars, and all of their masts.

The Bob Barker completely lost power and issued a MayDay distress call.  As this distress call was issued, theNisshin Maru turned away and began fleeing north.

Sea Shepherd Australia Co-Campaign leader, former Senator Bob Brown, has informed the Australian Government of the Japanese multiple breaches of international law and called for Tokyo to be required to remove its ships from this region north of Australia’s Casey Base and to desist from its gross violation of Australian and international laws. He says that the Australian Navy should be dispatched to restore the law.

Currently the Sun Laurel is being escorted north by the Sea Shepherd fleet, since they have no emergency life-saving devices in the potentially treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean.  Director of Sea Shepherd Australia, Jeff Hansen said, "The Nisshin Maru has committed the maritime equivalent of a hit and run accident.  They have rammed the Sun Laurel, putting them in perilous danger, and simply abandoned them."

All vessels are heading north with the illegal whale poachers from Japan two miles ahead of Sea Shepherds’ fleet.

All three Sea Shepherd ships were rammed, with the Bob Barker sustaining the heaviest damage.  Power has been restored to the Bob Barker. Fortunately no crewmembers sustained injuries. The crews completed the mission to block the refuelling and will continue to protect the whales in the sanctuary.

The Nisshin Maru blasted the Bob Barker with water cannons, and rammed them into the Sun Laurel
photo: Sea Shepherd Australia/Glenn Lockitch

The Nisshin Maru rams the Bob Barker and the Sun Laurel
photo: Sea Shepherd Australia/Glenn Lockitch

 

February 20, 2013 -The Nisshin Maru rams the SSS Bob Barker,
SSS Steve Irwin and South Korean tanker Sun Laurel

The Japanese whalers' factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, rams the much smaller Sea Shepherd ships, the Bob Barker and Steve Irwin, along with the Korean tanker, Sun Laurel, in the Antarctic Whale Santuary. video: Sea Shepherd Australia

Japanese Whalers Fire Their First Shot of the Season – at Sea Shepherd

Commentary by Captain Paul Watson

The Japanese whaling fleet's factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru
Photo: Sea ShepherdIt looks like the Japanese whaling fleet is ready to rumble.

They fired their opening shot today by having the United States 9^th District Court issue an injunction against Sea Shepherd and Captain Paul Watson, specifically.

The court order was a single page e-mail granting the injunction despite the fact that the preliminary injunction was denied in February 2012 by Judge Richard Jones in Seattle.

In a completely unprecedented move, the preliminary injunction was granted by three judges on the 9^thCircuit before a hearing has taken place and before the trial on this matter slated for September 2013.

It is a complex situation whereby a United States Court is issuing an injunction against Dutch and Australian vessels carrying an international crew, operating out of Australia and New Zealand in international waters and the waters of the Australian Antarctic Economic Zone. In addition the Court has ignored the fact that the Japanese whalers are in contempt of a court order by the Australian Federal Court and the whaling takes place in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

What is the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society going to do?

Sea Shepherd’s position is clear: Our ships, officers and crew are 100% committed to achieving a zero-kill quota on whales. This is Operation Zero Tolerance and 120 crewmembers from 26 different nations are prepared to risk their lives to defend endangered and protected whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Sea Shepherd is committed to defending the integrity of this internationally established sanctuary.

What is the purpose of a whale sanctuary codified into international law if Japan can kill whales within its territorial waters while in contempt of the Australian Federal Court?

We expect that the Japanese whaling fleet was waiting for this ruling before departing from Japan. They will find when they arrive that we will still be there guarding the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with our ships and our lives.

“We will defend these whales as we have for the last eight years – non-violently and legally,” said Captain Paul Watson.

"Sail forth - steer for the deep waters only,
Reckless O soul, exploring, I with thee and thou with me,
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, our selves and all."
- Walt Whitman

For the whales,
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Captains, Crew, Directors and Staff

The Nisshin Maru
Photo: Sea Shepherd

The Nisshin Maru in dry dock
Photo: Sea Shepherd

Visit our
Operation Zero Tolerance
site for more information about our
2012-2013 Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign