-Sea Shepherd News-

Link:http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110208-1.html Tuesday, February 08, 2011

The Steve Irwin Departs Wellington for the Southern Ocean  Photo: Barbara VeigaThe Steve Irwin’s brief stay in Wellington, New Zealand provided the Sea Shepherd crew with everything they needed to return to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to continue their interception and disruption of the illegal Japanese whaling operations. “We were able to take on all the donations of food, especially fresh produce, that we need for all three vessels,” said Steve Irwin Chief Cook Laura Dakin of Canberra.  “The crews on the Bob Barker and the Gojirawill be happy, they have not had fresh vegetables or fruit for weeks.” Sea Shepherd’s international appeal for funds to refuel the Steve Irwinwas enormously successful, allowing the ship to take on a full load of 250,000 liters of marine diesel fuel. In addition to being refueled, the Steve Irwin took on enough provisions to also resupply both the Bob Barker and the Gojira. Furthermore, one of the Bob Barker’s inflatable Zeppelin boats that was damaged in a confrontation with the whalers, has been completely repaired and is ready to be returned back to the vessel.    An incredible amount of donated tools, supplies, equipment, and services flooded onto the ship during the three days the vessel was berthed at Queen’s Wharf in Wellington. The crew received complimentary dental services, along with donated meals at local dining establishments. “The people of Wellington have been awesome in their support for the whales and our efforts to end whaling in the Southern Ocean,” said Captain Paul Watson. “Within a week, we will be back with our other two ships on the trail of the Japanese whaling fleet, fully supplied, and with the ability to take our campaign to the end of the whaling season in March.”    The crew of the Steve Irwin regretfully had to say goodbye to some very good shipmates and friends who had to leave the ship to return home to their families and work. These included the ship’s manager Catherine Mansart of Belgium, 3rd Engineer Marybeth Thoren of the United States, 1st Officer Gunter Schwabenland and his wife Quartermaster Roberta Kleber both from Brazil, Communications Officer Douglas O’Neil of Tasmania, welder and deckhand Lar Steffens of Germany, and deckhand Michael Lindegger from Switzerland. We also dropped off Bob Barker’s Communications Officer Fabrizio Sestini of Italy, and crewmember Mike Glab who unfortunately had to return to his home in Brisbane as his home was recently flooded during his service at sea. Sea Shepherd has six new replacement crewmembers on the Steve Irwin to account for the eight that had to depart. They include new Communications Officer Nuno Ramos Fernandez of Spain, replacement engineer Bradley Latimer of New Zealand, and three replacement Australian deckhands Cassandra Smith from Queensland, Aisha Reynolds from Victoria, and Megan Jolley of Tasmania. Jeffrey Milstein also joins Sea Shepherd as Security Officer from the United States. Thanks to all of our wonderful and dedicated supporters in New Zealand for their support and assistance in helping Sea Shepherd re-supply as quickly as possible to enable them to defend the whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Operation No Compromise

Atitude feminina em alto mar!

Nota do dia:

Eu preciso confessar que não há nada mais recompensador (pessoalmente e profissionalmente) do que fotografar as mulheres a bordo do Steve Irwin, que dedicam seu tempo e energia ao ativismo por uma causa tão nobre e especial no Oceano Austral.

Esquerda para direita: A tradutora japonesa, Izumi,  Georgie e Alex - na proa do Steve Irwin aguardando aparições dos pinguins e focas.

A marinheira australiana, Georgie.

-Photos by Barbara Veiga-

New Photo from the Ice: Campaign Progress Report

Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110130-1.html

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Operation No Compromise Campaign Progress Report  Steve Irwin in ice field (enlarge) photo: Barbara VeigaReport: December 2nd, 2010 to January 31st, 2011 Day 61 of campaign, day 31 in pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet Sea Shepherd Conservation Society fleet: The Steve Irwin: (The Netherlands) Captain Paul Watson and crew of 42 Departed Hobart on December 2nd, 2010 Intercepted the Japanese whaling fleet on December 31st, 2010 The Bob Barker: (The Netherlands) Captain Alex Cornelissen and a crew of 35 Departed Hobart on December 2nd, 2010 Intercepted the Japanese whaling fleet on December 31st, 2010 The Gojira: (Australia) Captain Locky MacLean with a crew of 11 Departed Hobart on December 11th, 2010 Intercepted the Japanese whaling fleet on December 31st, 2010 Total crew: 88 This year is the weakest the Japanese fleet has ever been with only four ships including the Nisshin Maru factory ship, and the three harpoon vessels theYushin Maru, Yushin Maru No. 2, and Yushin Maru No. 3. The spotter vessels and the Shonan Maru No. 2 security vessel are absent from the whaling fleet this year. The Japanese whaling fleet arrived two weeks late to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. All three Sea Shepherd ships were able to intercept the whaling fleet before any whales were killed on December 31st, 2010. The Nisshin Maru factory ship escaped and fled eastward. Two of the harpoon vessels were assigned to stay on the tails of the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin to prevent the Sea Shepherd ships from closing in on the factory ship. Although this tactic works for the whalers to keep Sea Shepherd from moving in on the factory ship, it comes with the price of removing two of the three harpoon vessels from the hunt for the entire month. Due to fuel limitations, the Yushin Maru ships had to relieve each other, with the Yushin Maru No. 3 relieving the Yushin Maruin mid January. This had the effect of removing a third harpoon vessel from the hunt for days at a time because the Nisshin Maru had to remain out of helicopter range of the Steve Irwin. Summary: Sea Shepherd has had two of the three harpoon vessels under 24-hour observation for 32 days, during which time these vessels have not killed a single whale. This means the efficiency of the Japanese whale hunting has been cut by two-thirds. The Nisshin Maru could continue whaling with its one available harpoon vessel, but not with 100 percent efficiency because of both ships fleeing eastward, westward, eastwards again, and then south. Due to time spent in waters too far north and on refueling from the factory ship, the greatest amount of time this harpoon vessel could have efficiently operated as a hunter killer vessel is only 25 to 50 percent. With three harpoon ships, the whaling fleet can usually kill eight to nine whales per day, of course that is when weather, ice conditions, and whale availability allow for this number to be taken. If all three ships were operating to full efficiency in excellent conditions, they could take as many as 240-300 whales during a single month of operations. By Sea Shepherd removing two of the harpoon ships from the equation, the very most whales that can be taken by the remaining harpoon vessel would be three per day, approximately 90 whales for the month. However, we know that this one harpoon vessel was constantly on the move, or preoccupied by fleeing from or relieving one of the tailing harpoons for 50 to 75 percent of the time. Therefore, we estimate the maximum efficiency to be 50 percent, 25 percent at minimum. If all conditions were ideal for hunting for this one harpoon vessel, it would still only be able to take 45 whales at most, or more realistically 30 whales, which is still well below their target. However, we believe that this one harpoon vessel only had about five days to conduct its hunting exercises, which would mean only 15 whales killed at maximum. But we will not know the final kill figures until they are released at the end of the hunting season. Campaign Difficulties and Failures  This is not an easy campaign due to the expanded hunting range, ice, weather, and tails assigned to follow our ships. We have experienced numerous difficulties including the forced retreat of the Gojira for emergency repairs, as well as unforeseen ice conditions. Our major failure was being able to prevent the refueling of the Nisshin Maru. The Gojira located the Panamanian tanker the Sun Laurel on January 12th, 2011. On January 13th, the Bob Barker and theSteve Irwin met up with the Sun Laurel to allow the Gojira to break off to continue the search for the Nisshin Maru. The object was to cut off the refueling ship from the Nisshin Maru. The Sun Laurel fled eastward. On January 18th, the Steve Irwin broke away from the Sun Laurel and was able to lose its tailing harpoon vessel. The Steve Irwin then went in search of the Nisshin Maru because the Gojira was forced to return to Hobart, Tasmania for repairs to its computer and fuel pumps in its new engines. With the Steve Irwin’s limited remaining fuel reserves and knowing that the Sun Laurel was heading too far east to a point of 143 degrees east, Captain Watson requested that Captain Cornelissen drop pursuing the Sun Laurel because once the Nisshin Maru was found, the Bob Barker would not be able to return in time to take up the tail of the factory ship before theSteve Irwin would have to turn back to port to refuel. The Bob Barker dropped chasing the Sun Laurel but not before planting a tracking device on it. The distance back to the Steve Irwin from the Sun Laurel was 1200 nautical miles. Reports from New Zealand suggested that the whalers were looking into chartering a tanker out of New Zealand while the Sun Laurel led the Bob Barker further and further to the east. On January 26th, the Steve Irwin found the Nisshin Maru and gave chase. Unfortunately, the Nisshin Maru smashed its way through dangerously thick ice in desperation to escape Sea Shepherd. The Steve Irwin could not physically pursue after the Nisshin Maru due to these dangerous ice conditions. The tracker on the Sun Laurel indicated that the tanker was heading back southwest, which meant that the Nisshin Maru would be heading towards it to refuel. Everything looked good for the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker to intercept the Sun Laurelbefore the Nisshin Maru could reach it, except for one unpredictable factor…ice! Ice! The two Sea Shepherd ships, each with a harpoon vessel tail, the Steve Irwin picked up a tail again when it found the Nisshin Maru, had time to cover the distance before the Nisshin Maru met up with the Sun Laurel. The problem was ice. Despite the ice charts confirming the path was clear, both the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin lost a great deal of time working through broad bands of heavy floe ice. By the time the two ships broke through, still with their harpooner tails, the Nisshin Maru had already refueled. It was our one major failure during this year’s campaign. On January 30th, the Bob Barker resumed the search for the Nisshin Maru, and engaged in a confrontation with the Yushin Maru No. 3 the next day in an attempt to slow down and lose the tailing vessel. The Steve Irwin headed back towards New Zealand with the Yushin Maru No. 2 on its tail. The Situation for February The Gojira has returned to the Southern Ocean and will resume scouting for the Nisshin Maru. The Bob Barker will continue to pursue the Nisshin Maru, while keeping the Yushin Maru No. 3 occupied. The Yushin Maru No. 2 will take a few days to return to the Nisshin Maru, and hopefully the Gojira will have located the factory ship by then. The Steve Irwin will refuel in Wellington, New Zealand, and should be back in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary by mid February with fresh provisions for the Bob Barker and the Gojira crews. The Steve Irwin will have enough fuel to last through the end of the whaling season at the end of March. The Bob Barker with her much larger fuel capacity, will also be able to remain on site until the end of March. The Gojira can refuel from the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin and can also remain present until the end of March. January has proven to be an excellent month for Sea Shepherd during this campaign. Our objective is to continue interventions to make February just as successful. One harpooner will be out of the hunt for sure as it continues to tail the Bob Barker. The second harpoon vessel will take three to four days to return to the Nisshin Maru. The Gojira should find the Nisshin Maru soon, and will be in a position to guide the Bob Barker to the factory ship. The Steve Irwin will lose its tail before reaching New Zealand, and will be able to return to the whale sanctuary without a tail. The Japanese whaling fleet is getting to be an irritation for the Japanese Fisheries Agency. The whalers are demanding more subsidies to compensate for their inability to fill their quotas. The Japanese economy is seemingly unhealthy, and the whaling industry has been scandalized with charges of corruption including bribery and embezzlement. This could be the last season that Sea Shepherd will have to send its fleet down to the Southern Ocean. We hope this is the case, but if the Japanese whalers return to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in December 2011, they will find us waiting for them once again. We will drive these whale poachers out of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary by sinking them economically. The tide has turned against them, and if we return at the end of the year, it will be stronger than this year just as every year since we began our voyages here in 2002. We have increased our resources, fine-tuned our skills, and learned from our experiences. Once we succeed in driving the Japanese whale poachers from the Southern Ocean, our objective of making the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary a genuine whale sanctuary will be realized. Operation No Compromise

Jornal ZERO HORA - MIDIA NO BRASIL

-Photos by Barbara Veiga-

NEW COMMENTS & PHOTOS FROM THE SOUTHERN OCEAN!

Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/editorial-110125-1.html

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Art of Hunting Whalers Up, up, and away with our whale killer hunting balloons Commentary by Captain Paul Watson Doug O’Neil launches a weather balloon into the Southern Ocean sky. (photo: Barbara Veiga)It is difficult to describe the immensity of the great Southern Ocean and the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, and even more difficult to explain the awesome challenge of hunting the whaling fleet down in these remote, bitterly cold, and hostile waters. Imagine taking three cars and departing from Los Angeles in the USA or Perth in Australia. Somewhere in an area much larger than Australia and the United States there are four cars that you need to find. They could be in Fargo, North Dakota or Tallahassee, Florida, or they could be in Alice Springs or Adelaide, or they could be in one of thousands of rest stops on any highway or backcountry road in either country. In other words we are talking B-I-G. Hundreds of thousands of square miles! And our cars only move at about 18 miles per hour. Where do you even begin? In 2002 when we first ventured into the Southern Ocean, we failed to find the Japanese fleet at all but since then, we have grown stronger with each year and become better equipped. Now with three ships and a helicopter, we are stronger than we ever have been and we now have the capability to find the whalers and keep them on the run. When the Greenpeace ships ventured down here to these waters a few years ago, the whalers continued on with their grisly business undeterred by the cameras and the banner hanging. Greenpeace got some horrific footage of dying whales but their cameras did not stop the killing. The Japanese whalers treated Greenpeace as an annoyance but the killing remained undeterred. To be fair, the Greenpeace crewmembers were passionate about the cause but they were limited by the bureaucratic restraints of their organization and this revisionist policy of so-called bearing witness. Finally realizing that hanging banners was futile, Greenpeace retreated permanently from the Southern Ocean. In the early days when I was a Greenpeace director and activist, we didn’t just bear witness to atrocities, we intervened. And that is precisely what Sea Shepherd continues to do. We are not down here to witness the killing of whales, we are down here to stop the killing of whales. Thus far this has been a very good year. The whalers have only been able to slip in a couple of days of whaling with only one harpoon vessel while on the run. We caught them before they began whaling and we have now been chasing the fleet for nearly a month. But the big challenge is locating them. So how do we do it? First we know the general area of their illegal operations each year. There are two areas. The first is the Antarctic coast from the South of Tasmania, to the westward coastline to the south of South Africa. The second region, where we are this year, is the Antarctic coast south of Tasmania, eastward to the area just on the other side of the Ross Sea. Each of these two regions is immense, of course. I prefer the Ross Sea area because the whaling fleet tends to get down into this gigantic Southern Ocean bay and floe ice tends to funnel them into certain areas. We then tend to look at the ocean the way a whale does. When bank robber Willie Horton was once asked why he robbed banks, he answered, “Because that is where the money is.” We say to ourselves, why would a whale go to a certain area? The answer is that is where the krill is. And so we look for plankton blooms, which has a great deal to do with ocean currents and temperatures. We also study the ice charts. Crewmembers prepare the surveillance weather balloons for launch. (photo: Barbara Veiga)With our two ships that are equipped with a helicopter deck, we place our ships in a search formation and patrol with the helicopter that extends our range. This year we also deployed a new technology of using weather balloons, which is working quite well. The weather balloons are deployed with a camera feature, along with equipment to detect radio and radar signals. Rising as high as 30,000 feet in the air, the balloons send back some very valuable data that has proven to be very instrumental in finding the whalers this season. The best tactic for defending whales down here in the Southern Ocean is to keep the whaling ships on the run, while burning fuel and catching very few whales. The key to ending whaling is an economic one. Getting the Japanese people onside is all well and good but it guarantees nothing, as the whalers don’t care about public opinion. As a Canadian, I know that the majority of Canadians oppose the horrific annual seal slaughter, yet the Canadian government continues to subsidize the industry. Why? Because it is never about what the people want, it is what the bureaucrats and the corporations want. However, cutting profits is something they do understand, and they do notice. And Sea Shepherd has considerably cut profits and will do so more than ever this season. This is the reason that the Japanese government has been reaching out at the highest diplomatic efforts to Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in a desperate effort to shut down Sea Shepherd. The best acknowledgement of our effectiveness comes from the Japanese Fisheries Agency and the Institute for Cetacean Research (or Removal as I like to call it). Both these groups have denounced Sea Shepherd for cutting their kill quotas and their profits. Critics tend to only have opinions without much substance, and our critics are entitled to say what they like about our effectiveness. We need only look to our real enemies – the whalers, for validation of our strategies and tactics. According to the whalers, Sea Shepherd is hurting them. I must admit that I take a great deal of pleasure in watching that foul evil floating abattoir the Nisshin Maru running in desperation every time they see us. That desperation was never more evident than yesterday, when they smashed through the thick and dangerous ice fields in an attempt to get away from us.    Next year we intend to be even better prepared. We could use a third larger vessel, one to match each of the harpoon vessels. If two ships can keep two harpoon vessels occupied, three ships can keep all three of the harpoon vessels occupied. We are also working on acquiring a couple of long-range drones fitted with cameras and detection equipment. This year the whalers can run, but they can no longer hide – from our balloons! Operation No Compromise

NEWS: Sea Shepherd Successfully finds the Nisshin Maru

Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110125-1.html

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Sea Shepherd Successfully finds the Nisshin Maru The Nisshin Maru as seen from the Nancy Burnet helicopter (click to enlarge)Position: 70 Degrees  45 Minutes South 171 Degrees 45 Minutes West  Vessels Involved:  Japanese whalers - The Nisshin Maru, Yushin Maru No. 1 and Yushin Maru No. 2 Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - The Steve Irwin En route - The Bob Barker and the Yushin Maru No. 3 (video to follow shortly) After a 26-day pursuit covering over 4,000 miles, the Steve Irwin caught up with the Nisshin Maru at 1800 hours on January 25th, 2011 AEST. “We finally have this serial killing death ship where we want them, and from here on in, we intend to ride their ass until the end of the whaling season,” said Captain Paul Watson from onboard the Steve Irwin. “This whaling fleet belongs to us now – lock, stock, and smoking harpoon gun.” The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships the Steve Irwin, Bob Barker, and Gojira originally found the Japanese whaling fleet on December 31st, 2010 before the whalers had an opportunity to kill a single whale. Unfortunately, two of the harpoon vessels blocked the approach to the Nisshin Maru and the factory ship was able to flee with the faster harpoon vessels tailing the two larger Sea Shepherd ships to relay Sea Shepherd movements to the fleeing Nisshin Maru. The Gojira was prevented from immediately pursuing the Nisshin Maru due to risky ice conditions. The Gojira shot ahead of the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker as the Nisshin Maru fled westward. On January 10th, the Gojiraencountered the refueling and supply ship the Sun Laurel. On January 12th, the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin caught up with the tanker and began to tail the Korean-owned vessel allowing the Gojira to continue westward in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru. The Sun Laurel headed north and east to put as much distance between the factory ship and themselves as they could. The Sea Shepherd ships followed knowing it was essential to cut off the supplies to the whaling fleet. Two of the three harpoon vessels followed and for 23 days we had confirmation that these two vessels had not taken a single whale. With the Sun Laurel heading east and getting closer to Chile than New Zealand, Captain Watson seized an opportunity to break away and lose the tail, doing so on January 18th.  The Bob Barker continued to follow the Sun Laurel with one harpoon vessel continuing to follow the Bob Barker. The other harpoon vessel, having lost the Steve Irwin, left to rejoin the Nisshin Maru. The Yushin Maru No. 1 cutting through the ice floes (click to enlarge)The Gojira was following the progress of the Nisshin Maru by launching weather balloons equipped with remote cameras and radar detectors. Unfortunately, the Gojira developed a problem with their fuel pumps and Captain Locky MacLean elected to return to Hobart to replace the pumps. This decision was kept confidential in order to keep the Nisshin Maru on the run until the Steve Irwin could close in. On January 23rd, Captain Watson made a risky decision to call off theBob Barker from continuing the pursuit of the Sun Laurel. His concern was that the Nisshin Maru with two harpoon vessels could begin whaling operations in the Ross Sea within days. The Bob Barker was instructed to head due south as a decoy to lead theYushin Maru along while the Steve Irwin entered the Ross Sea. And today after a 26-day pursuit, the Nisshin Maru has finally been caught and the Steve Irwin is on its tail. The Bob Barker some 300 miles away has been instructed to join the Steve Irwin. Unfortunately, the Japanese whaling fleet appears to have just begun their illegal whaling operations. There is a whale presently being butchered on the deck. Sea Shepherd’s objective now is to make sure that whale is the last one taken this season. The whaling fleet has been caught in an ice bay in the Ross Sea and is fleeing eastward into thick ice. The Steve Irwin intends to follow.         There is no doubt that this season will be a financial disaster for the Japanese whaling fleet. “We are well on our way to economically sinking this whaling fleet,” said Captain Watson. “We will now chase them through the frozen gates of hell if need be, but we will stop their illegal whaling operations…I am confident of that!” The Nisshin Maru trying to outrun the Steve Irwin by going through heavy ice (click to enlarge) The Nisshin Maru exiting the ice floes (click to enlarge) all photos by Barbara Veiga Operation No Compromise

Ondas altas, emoções a flor da pele!

Como ultimamente eu tenho postado apenas as matérias escritas pelo Paul Watson com meu trabalho fotográfico(por pura falta de tempo), dessa vez eu decidi colocar aqui um pouco da minha experiência a bordo.

Estamos enfrentando nesse momento uma tempestade com ventos de 40 nós e ondas que garantem uma grande aventura no Steve Irwin. O curioso é que eu adoro fotografar o mar nessas condições, mesmo que meus equipamento fotográficos criem asas e vão de um lado para o outro com o movimento do navio.

Hoje foi o dia de colocar meu "mustang suit" e com um gancho me conectar ao navio ao sair para fotografar no convés(que está limitado para a tripulação por uma questão de segurança). Foi absolutamente emocionante olhar o Steve Irwin desde a proa e me dar conta do quanto somos insignificantes diante do poder e constante transição do mar.

O importante é saber que estou o lugar certo e fazendo a coisa certa. Cada minuto fotografando as ações da Sea Shepherd é um dádiva e ainda posso me aventurar nas tempestades do Pólo Sul.

-Por Barbara Veiga-

Sea Shepherd News: Riding a Storm in Pursuit of a Black-Hearted Sun

Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110115-1.html

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Riding a Storm in Pursuit of a Black-Hearted Sun A bird’s eye view of the Steve Irwin during a stormIt is Day Seventeen since finding the Japanese whaling fleet, and it is a wee bit uncomfortable today after the whaling fleet supply vessel Sun Laureldecided to lead us into a storm to try and shake the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin off its tail. We are now over 300 miles north of the Antarctic Treaty Zone Boundary and the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary as the Sun Laurel wanders northward and eastward hoping to unload her cargo of heavy fuel for the Nisshin Maruand diesel fuel for the harpoon vessels. It is mystifying why the Korean captain thinks he can lose us in a storm. TheBob Barker and the Steve Irwin are far superior sea vessels than this tanker and the rolling of the supply ship has to be uncomfortable for her crew, far more uncomfortable than for the Sea Shepherd crews. Behind the two Sea Shepherd ships in plain sight are the Yushin Maru # 1and Yushin Maru #2. Both of them are more than a day's steaming from the whaling grounds, and if they are not on the whaling grounds, they are not killing whales. The Bob Barker tracking the Sun LaurelThe Gojira continues to hunt for the Nisshin Maru and the Yushin Maru #3. Captain Paul Watson has decided that the most effective tactic that can be implemented is to cut the Nisshin Maru off from her supplies. TheBob Barker and the Steve Irwin will be able to pursue the Sun Laurel for longer than the Nisshin Maru can survive without fuel. The Nisshin Maru has four choices now: (1) quit whaling and return to Japan, (2) attempt to refuel with the Sun Laurel, (3) go to a distant port to refuel, or (4) find another tanker somewhere to refuel them and hope they are not discovered before they do so. Option two will put them into a direct confrontation with the Sea Shepherd ships. Options three and four will cost them weeks of time. Yesterday, the crew of the Steve Irwin were accompanied by a large pod of pilot whales. The crews of both the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin are in high spirits as this pursuit continues. A pod of Short-finned Pilot Whales Operation No Compromise

Sea Shepherd News

Holding the Course!

Update from the frontlines in the Southern Ocean
January 14, 2011, 1400 hours AEST/January 13, 2011, 1900 hours PST

The Sea Shepherd fleet escorting the Sun Laurel tanker out of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary (click to enlarge)Panamanian-registered, Korean-owned tanker the Sun Laurel has complied with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s request to remove itself from the Antarctic Treaty zone. The ship is now north of 60 degrees and continues to be followed by both the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker. The Bob Barker in turn, is being followed and tailed by the Yushin Maru No. 2, and the Steve Irwin is being followed by the Yushin Maru No. 1.

This morning, the Yushin Maru No. 1 replaced the Yushin Maru No. 3 as the tail on the Steve Irwin. This means that as of this morning all three harpoon vessels were within sight of the Sea Shepherd ships. Therefore, the Nisshin Maru factory ship would presumably be over 200 miles away in order to stay out of the Sea Shepherd helicopter’s range.  

It is a certainty that there is no possibility of whaling today. Sea Shepherd has every reason to also believe that based on the fact that two of the three harpoon vessels have been under continuous observation for the past 15 days, and due to the great distance of over 2,000 miles covered by the whaling fleet since being located on December 31, 2010, there has been very little time to hunt, load, and process whales.

(l to r) The Bob Barker, the Gojira, the Sun Laurel refueling and supply tanker, and the Steve Irwin on the move (click to enlarge)The harpooners have been taking turns refueling from the Nisshin Maru, but soon those supplies will run low as well and the Nisshin Maru will need the heavy oil (bunker C) cargo presently in the hold of the Sun Laurel. The Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin will stay with the supply ship and will aggressively interfere with any attempts at refueling and resupply.

After successfully finding the Sun Laurel supply vessel, the Gojira has since left to scout in search of the Nisshin Maru.

There is no doubt that the Japanese whaling fleet has been severely crippled this whaling season. With a third of the whaling season behind them, with two of the three harpoon vessels tied up with their supplies cut off and constantly being on the run, the whale kill quota has been reduced to zero, or very close to it.

Sea Shepherd has two months left until the whaling season is over, which means 60 more days at sea. We have the fuel, the resources, and a crew committed to this campaign whose morale has already been bolstered by our successes this year. The captains and the crews of all three Sea Shepherd ships are confident of a very successful year in neutralizing illegal whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

The Japanese whaling ships presently in the Southern Ocean include: the Nisshin Maru factory ship, the three Yushin Maruharpoon vessels (Nos. 1, 2 and 3), and the Sun Laurel supply vessel.

The three Sea Shepherd ships opposing the whalers include: the Steve Irwin, the Bob Barker, and the Gojira, along with theNancy Burnet helicopter.

Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110113-1.html

Operation No Compromise

Sea Shepherd News From the Ice

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Link: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-110112-1.html

Sea Shepherd Cuts off Supplies to the Japanese Whaling Fleet The Gojira catches up to the Sun Laurel to investigate their intentThe mysterious and elusive supply ship for the Japanese whaling fleet has been located. At 1420 hours on January 12 AEST, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s scout and interceptor vessel the Gojira found the Japanese refueling and supply ship. It is identified as the Panamanian registered Sun Laurel (IMO# 9405631), and it was found at 62 degrees 43 minutes south and 178 degrees 33 minutes west. Captain of the Gojira Canadian Lockhart MacLean radioed the Sun Laurel and asked if they were in the area to refuel the Japanese whaling fleet. Their response was a hesitant “maybe.” The tanker is full and has not yet discharged its supplies to the Nisshin Maru or the harpoon vessels. The Bob Barker, being tailed by the Yushin Maru, and the Steve Irwin being tailed by the Yushin Maru No. 3, immediately changed course to intercept the tanker. The Steve Irwin is expected to intercept the Sun Laurel at 2200 hours AEST on January 12. The Sun Laurel departed from Japan on December 4, 2010 from the port of Tateyama Ko. Captain Paul Watson responded to the interception of the Sun Laurel from the Steve Irwin, “We have found the Achilles heel of the whaling fleet and we intend to stay on it like a bloodhound and keep this ship from delivering fuel and supplies to the whaling fleet. This tanker’s support of Japan’s illegal activities makes the captain and crew of the Sun Laurel as culpable as the person firing the harpoon into a whale’s flesh.” The Sun Laurel supply ship intercepted by Sea ShepherdThe Sea Shepherd ships have now chased the whaling fleet for 13 days, and with the harpoon ships tailing, finding and closing in on the Nisshin Maru has proven to be very difficult. The harpoon ships simply relay the position of the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker ahead allowing the Nisshin Maru, allowing it to stay out of reach. “So if we can’t go to the Nisshin Maru, the Nisshin Maru will have to come to us,” said Captain Watson. “They need to refuel soon, and we will be here with the Sun Laurel waiting for them to arrive. Refueling south of 60 degrees is illegal and we intend to enforce the Antarctic Treaty if they attempt to violate it.” There is no evidence that any whales have been killed this season. The entire Japanese whaling fleet has been fleeing from the Sea Shepherd ships for nearly two weeks since being found on the eastern side of the Ross Sea on December 31, 2010. The three Sea Shepherd ships are committed to spending the remainder of the whaling season in the Southern Ocean, but the season will be cut very short if the whaling ships are unable to refuel. “It’s time for these poachers to take their harpoons and flensing knives and head home,” said Captain MacLean from theGojira. “We have made it clear that they are not welcome in the sanctuary.” Operation No Compromise