Sea Shepherd Ships Under Attack From Whaling Fleet
Sea Shepherd Ships Under Attack From Whaling Fleet:
Bob Barker Struck by Harpoon Ship
Sunday
February 2, 2014 – Melbourne, Australia — At
approximately 0650 AEDT today, The Bob Barker, was
hit by the Japanese whaling fleet’s harpoon vessel, the
Yushin Maru No. 2 as the harpoon vessel crossed in
front of the bow of the Sea Shepherd ship at 67° 29’ S
164 °01’ W.
The incident is a part of an attack
by the Japanese whaling fleets’ three harpoon vessels, the
Yushin Maru, Yushin Maru No. 2 and Yushin
Maru No. 3 on the Sea Shepherd ships, The Steve
Irwin and The Bob Barker, which began at
approximately 0001 this morning AEDT. The ships were located
at approximately 68° 40’ S and 163° 43’ W at the time
the attack began.
The assault is an attempt to
deter the Sea Shepherd ships from their current position,
blocking the slipway of the Nisshin Maru, preventing
the whalers from loading whales poached from the Southern
Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
During the attack, currently
ongoing as of 0730 AEDT, the harpoon vessels overtook the
Sea Shepherd ships from the stern, crossing the bow, and
coming as close as three to five meters. Captain Peter
Hammarstedt of The Bob Barker and Captain Siddarth
Chakravarty of The Steve Irwin have thus far been
able to steer out of the path of the encroaching harpoon
vessels, only narrowly avoiding numerous potential
collisions.
The whaling vessels have also made
consecutive attempts to foul the propellers of the Sea
Shepherd ships by dragging steel cable across the bow of the
conservation ships. Further, the crew of the whaling vessels
threw projectiles at The Steve Irwin’s small boat
crew and turned water cannons on The Bob Barker’s
small boat crew as they attempted to cut the steel
cables.
This season, Sea Shepherd’s direct
intervention has led to a disastrous January for the illegal
operations of the Japanese whaling fleet. Early interception
and a persistent chase has enabled the Sea Shepherd Fleet to
effectively suspend whaling operations and allowed the fleet
to take up position and secure the slipway of the Nisshin
Maru.
ENDS