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Breaking News: Japanese Harpoon Vessel Collides with Bob Barker of the Sea Shepherd Fleet
Image Source: Screen capture from the video footage.
Right when you think: ‘things couldn’t get any worse’, another clash between the Sea Shepherd crew and the Japanese happens.
The Japanese harpoon ship Yushin Maru No. 3 collided with Sea Shepherd’s latest fleet addition, Bob Barker. The collision tore a 3 foot, 4 inch (1 meter) deep hole above the waterline of Bob Barker’s hull.
The good news is nobody was hurt. The bad news is (at least for the Japanese) the incident occurred off Cape Darnley, part of the Bjerko Peninsula—in Australian Antarctic waters. The Japanese were officially banned from whaling in Australian waters (pdf). If they were, indeed, in Australian Antarctic waters when this incident happened, not only could they be in trouble for illegal whaling, but there is the possibility they could also be in trouble for such a violent attack on others.
Captain Paul Watson, of the Steve Irwin (Sea Shepherd’s flagship) stated:
“Because the whalers got away basically scot-free with the outrageous sinking of the Ady Gil, they now apparently think they can do whatever they want and they appear to have no qualms about endangering Sea Shepherd crew.”
He also added that “Australian and New Zealand lives are at risk every day in these waters”, in reference to a number of his crew members. Plus, he made his thoughts on the matter perfectly clear by stating:
“What we really need is for the governments of Australia and New Zealand to step up and start enforcing maritime laws in these waters, or who knows what the whalers will do next.”
It should be noted that Canberra and Wellington are both investigating the previous ramming that happened between the Shonan Maru No. 2 and the Ady Gil. Canberra also believes that members of the Japanese fleet have chartered flights out of Australia to spy on the activities of the Sea Shepherd crew.
Now, if you’re wondering why the Yushin Maru No. 3 went after Bob Barker in the first place, Sea Shepherd supporters may want to rejoice a little at this next statement. Bob Barker had successfully put a (temporary) stop to the whaling. According to the official Sea Shepherd website, Bob Barker was able to catch up with the Nisshin Maru (Japan’s factory ship) and block their slipway. Without use of the slipway, this Japanese vessel cannot process whales. Bob Barker had intended on holding this position until either the Nisshin Maru ran out of fuel or went home. Unfortunately, the other whaling vessels in the area—which included the Yushin Maru Nos. 1, 2 and 3, plus the horrible Shonan Maru No. 2—started to close in on Bob Barker. The 4 Japanese ships then proceeded to circle around Bob Barker; occasionally veering close to the stern and bow until finally, the collision happened—again.
You can check out a video of the most recent collision here. It is listed under February 6, 2010 as “Sea Shepherd Ship Bob Barker is rammed by the Japanese harpoon ship Yushin Maru 3”.
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: Bob Barker, collision, harpoon ship, hull damage, Japanese Whaling, Sea Shepherd, Yushin Maru No. 3
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