Militant conversationalists and Japanese whalers the Sea Shepherd, have in recent times involved in dangerous clashes in the icy waters off Antarctica. Most of these altercations happen with Japanese whaling ships. Both sides were accused of ramming their vessels, in a recent clash.
Paul Watson, the veteran anti-whaling campaigner said that the Japanese factory ship – the Nisshin Maru, rammed into the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s smaller vessel, known as the Bob Barker in an incident on February 25, 2013. Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research has accused many Sea Shepherd boats of slamming into Nisshin Maru, as the vessel attempted to refuel with the supply tanker Sun Laurel. This information was put up on its website.
Watson, while talking to reporters said, “It was five hours of intense confrontation”. The campaigner added, “We took up our positions to block their approach to the (fuel tanker) Sun Laurel and they rammed the Bob Barker twice, causing considerable damage and then they pushed it into the side of the Sun Laurel.”
Watson also said that the Japanese threw stun grenades and fired water cannons at his boat and damaged another Sea Shepherd Vessel. However, no injuries have been reported to the Sea Shepherd crew. According to the institute of Cetacean Research, the Japanese vessels were again subject to sabotage by the Sea Shepherd ships Steve Irwin, Sam Simon and Bob Barker.
