Whaling War Vessels Collide

Saga of Sea Shepherd and Japanese Whalers Continues.

Japanese whalers claim they had to send out distress signals after activists from Sea Shepherd vessels 'attacked them like pirates' today (Monday) as the conservationists claim they successfully saved a pod of whales from the whaling fleet.

In the fracas one of the Sea Shepherd vessels, the ROBERT HUNTER was struck by whaling vessel KAIKO MARU and suffered a three foot gash to her hull. The KAIKO MARU crew claim that the activists attacked "... like that of a pirate, with people on one boat throwing warning flares and a rope in an attempt to entangle our ship's propeller," Hideki Moronuki, a senior official at the far seas fisheries division of Japan's said the Japanese ship was forced to stop.

No injuries have been reported from any of the vessels however.

Sea Shepherd say they are in Antarctic waters to protect endangered whales from the Japanese fleet claiming it has plans to illegally slaughter over 900 whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary this year – including 935 piked (Minke) whales and 10 fin whales. They operate two ships.

The FARLEY MOWAT has a crew of 20 under the command of Captain Paul Watson. The ROBERT HUNTER has a crew of 37 under the command of Captain Alex Cornelissen of the Netherlands.

The photo shows the bow of the KAIKO MARU approaching the FARLEY MOWAT

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