Japan Whale Slaughter 2012 - 2013

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Message 1329133 - Posted: 19 Jan 2013, 16:36:25 UTC
Last modified: 19 Jan 2013, 16:37:11 UTC

Whilst we await the first encounters between the Japanese whalers and Sea Shepherd any day now, there is a steady trickle of ongoing related items in the news:


The song of survival

Roger Payne, the biologist who discovered that humpback whales sing, has spent a lifetime fighting for the survival of the planet's largest creatures. He tells Andrew Stone that New Zealand must soon act to protect two of its endangered mammals ...

... By 1986, with whales dug in as stars of the conservation movement, the International Whaling Commission declared an end to commercial hunting. Except, as Payne notes with undisguised anger, the killing hasn't stopped.

Around 2000 whales are killed each year by crews from countries that either work around the ban, or just ignore it. Iceland and Norway hunt 600 between them.

Native hunters collect 350 for subsistence. Japan - pursued into Antarctic waters by the conservation group Sea Shepherd - has just resumed its annual "scientific" hunt for 1000 whales, shot with harpoons, dragged drowning behind catcher vessels and jabbed with electrodes.

The methods disgust Payne: "If you killed cows that way you'd be in jail before you could catch your breath.

"Yet this industry is based on doing these vile things. You'd have to really work at it to find a more horrible way of killing.

"The entire scientific programme just appals me. It's commercial whaling under a different name. They call it scientific whaling. I can say that as a scientist I am utterly offended by it. It's a lie, and a rather boring lie." ...

... [from real research] the group has collected samples from 955 sperm whales which, sitting at the top of the food chain, absorb organic pollutants and metals.

The most disturbing finding was high levels of chromium in all 955 whales ...

... "Unless we can do something to reduce the entry of pollutants to the sea there's basically no hope for a lot of ocean life."

More distressing research by the Ocean Alliance is due to emerge from samples collected from whales exposed to dispersants used to break up the catastrophic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. ...



There's a lot we need to do long-term to clean up our act for all the oceans, including the human industrial pollution causing global warming and acidifying the oceans. However, firstly, there is the immediate direct threat from the Japanese whalers to block...

In my own personal view: There can only be cruel corruption keeping the Japanese whalers afloat for the profit of others somewhere... At the expense of our planet and everyone else.

How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin
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Message 1330929 - Posted: 24 Jan 2013, 21:57:35 UTC - in response to Message 1329133.  
Last modified: 24 Jan 2013, 21:58:13 UTC

Whilst we await the first encounters between the Japanese whalers and Sea Shepherd any day now, there is a steady trickle of ongoing related items in the news...


Scientists set sail to study blue whales

HOBART, Australia, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- An international team of researchers has left Australia on the inaugural voyage of a project to study the Antarctic blue whale...

... The Antarctic blue whale can grow to almost 100 feet in length and weigh up to 180 tons.

"This research shows, in contrast to Japan's so called ' scientific whaling' program, that you don't have to kill these majestic creatures to get valuable information about them,"...



Interesting timing... I wonder if it is going to get a little crowded around the whales...?


How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

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Martin
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Message 1332544 - Posted: 29 Jan 2013, 20:27:52 UTC

First contact:


Sea Shepherd Has Intercepted the Whale Poachers Before a Single Whale is Killed

Last night while on patrol in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, Sea Shepherd Australia's fast interceptor vessel the SSS Brigitte Bardot intercepted the Harpoon kill ship, the Yushin Maru No. 3...

... "The Yushin Maru 3 was on a westerly course, indicating that the fleet has been in bad weather for the past several days...




How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

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Martin


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Message 1333348 - Posted: 31 Jan 2013, 23:20:37 UTC
Last modified: 31 Jan 2013, 23:20:55 UTC

Japan rules all of the ocean waves with impunity?...



Armed Japanese Ship Ignores Australian Order to Leave Australian Waters

... "Sea Shepherd Australia applauds the Federal Environment Minister, the Honourable Tony Burke, on his quick response to this matter. However the poachers have completely disregarded Australia’s request as an armed vessel of the Government of Japan continues to steam deeper into Australia’s waters...

... Once the Bob Barker loses the tail of the Shonan Maru No. 2 they will return to the pursuit of the factory ship, Nisshin Maru. The objective is for all four Sea Shepherd ships to keep the whalers separated and on the run. This Sea Shepherd's ninth Antarctic Whale Defence Campaign, Operation Zero Tolerance, is currently on the mark for its goal of having this be a no kill year for the Japanese poachers.



And thus starts the deadly dance... How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin
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Message 1333523 - Posted: 1 Feb 2013, 14:25:25 UTC

Looks like there's been a few small ripples this time around:


Sea Shepherd's Bob Barker Ship Loses Tail

... At 0730 AEDT, the base commander called back as they saw a vessel on their radar and wanted to confirm its identity. Captain Peter Hammarstedt confirmed that the ship was indeed the Bob Barker and not the Shonan Maru No. 2.

After learning about the harassment from the armed Japanese Government ship in the past few days, the base commander was concerned for the well-being and safety of the Sea Shepherd crew and wished them a safe onward journey.

"Macquarie Island is Tasmania and Australia has made it very clear to the Government of Japan that whaling vessels are not permitted to enter Australia's territorial sea limit...

... "Sea Shepherd Australia applauds the Federal Environment Minister, the Honourable Tony Burke, on his quick response to this matter. However we must not forget that these whale poachers still completely disregarded the 2008 Australian Federal Court Order by sailing deep into the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. The Japanese whaling fleet has no respect for International law, banning the slaughter of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and no respect for the Australian Federal Court, a court which they are in contempt of by killing whales in the Australian Whale Sanctuary."

With the Bob Barker now free from its tail, Captain Peter Hammarstedt and the crew of the Bob Barker can resume their hunt for the factory whaling ship, the Nisshin Maru.




Japan wants action against Sea Shepherd

TOKYO has demanded action by the federal government against Sea Shepherd conservationists in response to a complaint over the incursion of a Japanese whalers' ship into Australian waters. ...



Japanese whalers ordered out of Australian waters

The Federal Government has ordered a Japanese whaling vessel to get out of Australia's exclusive economic zone.

The Shonan Maru Number 2 - a Customs vessel which travels with the whaling fleet - entered the zone off Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean yesterday afternoon.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said he had made it clear to Japan that vessels associated with the whaling program "are not welcome in in Australia's exclusive economic zone or territorial sea".

"Our embassy in Tokyo has conveyed these sentiments directly to the Japanese government," ...

... "It's stayed outside the direct territorial waters but it has not obliged that request and protest from Australia that it should not enter our exclusive economic zone.

"That is a matter of some affront to Australia and one that I've no doubt the Federal Government will be looking to deal with during today."




And thus plays the deadly dance... How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin
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Message 1334036 - Posted: 2 Feb 2013, 18:40:46 UTC

Our good old Auntie Beeb have slowly awoken to the whalers invasion story:


Australia protests to Japan over whaling ship

Australia has protested to Japan after a vessel from its whaling fleet entered Australia's exclusive economic zone in the Southern Ocean.

Environment Minister Tony Burke said Australia had made it clear to Japan that whaling vessels were not welcome. ...



Is Japan going to go to war with Australia? The Japanese whalers may well instigate that technically...


And thus plays the deadly dance... How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin


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Message 1334462 - Posted: 4 Feb 2013, 0:19:57 UTC

How soon to die in financial ruin and world opprobrium?


Whaling fleet gets Japanese taxpayer subsidy

... "This subsidy is supposed to help fishermen in financial trouble," she says. "Now it's propping up the unprofitable whaling fleet. And if they keep running a loss they won't even have to pay it back," she adds.

Documents seen by the ABC suggest this subsidy has already been used to partly refit the whaling fleet's mother ship, the Nisshin Maru, with among other things a smoking room and internet connections. ...

... The most important finding of this new report is really three things. First, that whaling is an economic loser in the 21st century. Second, that the Japanese people have lost their appetite for whale meat. And third that whale watching rather than whale killing is the economically beneficial whale industry for the 21st century. ...



And thus plays the deadly dance... How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin

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Message 1334600 - Posted: 4 Feb 2013, 15:40:53 UTC - in response to Message 1334462.  
Last modified: 4 Feb 2013, 15:42:37 UTC

How soon to die in financial ruin and world opprobrium?


Whaling fleet gets Japanese taxpayer subsidy ...



Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Observer, has picked up on that article with some very interesting background detail:

Japanese Whaler Welfare Bums Need to Get an Honest Job

... Japanese whaling is now a glorified welfare program that serves only to denigrate Japan’s international reputation and has no hope of returning whaling to a profit making industry.

This is good news. Pride goes before a fall. The annual Canadian seal slaughter was heavily subsidised by the Canadian government yet the industry collapsed...

So too will the Japanese whaling industry collapse. The market for whale meat has been diminished and all efforts by the ICR and the Japanese government to revive it have failed.

Why is the Japanese government so adamant when it comes to defending whaling?

There are a number of reasons.

1. Amakudari. ...




And thus plays the deadly dance... How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin
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Message 1335567 - Posted: 7 Feb 2013, 19:58:42 UTC

Sea Shepherd Severs Fuel Supply to the Whaling Fleet

This morning at 0630 AEDT Sea Shepherd Australia’s ship, the SSS Sam Simon, found the refuelling tanker for the Japanese whaling fleet, the Panamanian registered and Korean-owned vessel Sun Laurel...

... The Sun Laurel refuels the Nisshin Maru several times during the whaling season. By intercepting the Sun Laurel, the Sam Simon has literally cut off the fuel supply to the whaling fleet with the potential of forcing the whalers to cut their season short.

Director of Sea Shepherd Australia, Jeff Hansen, has made the following comment: "A massive blow has been dealt today to these illegal whale poachers from Japan. To have an Australian registered vessel, the country whose federal laws these poachers are in contempt of, shut down their fuel supply is a crippling result. What’s more, the Sam Simon was once part of Japans’ research program, so to have one of their own vessels turned against them must be a psychological blow. It’s time to rein in your fleet Japan and head back to Tokyo." ...




And thus plays the deadly dance... How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin


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Message 1337038 - Posted: 11 Feb 2013, 14:11:12 UTC

All a cold deadly game in widespread disarray?...


Japanese Whaling fleet Abandons Harpoon Vessel Nearly Empty on Fuel, Pressure [for] Korean Refuelling Vessel to Enter Australian Antarctic Territory

... Captain of the SSS Steve Irwin, Siddharth Charkravarty recounts: "While in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru, the Steve Irwin picked up the Yushin Maru as a tailing vessel, riding extremely high out of the water, indicating that they were very low on fuel. A few days later when the whalers tried to swap the Yushin Maru with a fully fuelled Yushin Maru No. 3, the Steve Irwin instead chased the Yushin Maru in the opposite direction of the whaler's factory ship for 150 miles. During this chase, the Yushin Maru was ... barely able to eke out 16-17 knots, confirming that they were low on fuel and hence running at a more fuel-saving speed." Since then, this Korean source reports, the Yushin Maru is conserving their meagre fuel stores and is unable to cover the ground between them and the Nisshin Maru.

Rather than remain with their sister ship, or even transfer fuel to them, the Yushin Maru No. 3 instead chose to abandon the Yushin Maru in the treacherous waters of the Southern Ocean in order to chase the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin.

Sea Shepherd Founder, Paul Watson says, "This action shows the negligence of the whaling commander, not only for the sanctity of the whales of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, but an utter and total disregard for the life and safety of the crews who work on these death ships...



Bardot to rejoin the fight

BRIGITTE Bardot, the high-speed vessel used to intercept and disrupt the Japanese whaling fleet, is due to leave Hobart tomorrow after a brief interruption to its campaign.

The radical-looking boat, operated by Sea Shepherd Australia, was forced to break off its activities in the Southern Ocean and head for port with engine trouble.

Brigitte Bardot arrived in Hobart on Friday but after minor repairs and taking on fresh fuel and provisions, is almost set to rejoin Sea Shepherd's three larger vessels, Bob Barker, Steve Irwin and Sam Simon, in hounding the whalers.

"At this stage we're very confident that they haven't killed a single whale," said Sea Shepherd spokesman Jeff Hansen last night.

Mr Hansen said the activists were still hoping to achieve their target of zero kills...






And thus plays the deadly dance... How strange a game the Japanese play... How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

All on our only planet,
Martin

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Message 1337064 - Posted: 11 Feb 2013, 15:55:10 UTC

Martin, are you saying that the Japanese involved in whaling are corrupt in the financial sense of the word?
If not I can think of far better words to describe their actions "Morally Bankrupt" would be a good starter for ten from me.
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Message 1337258 - Posted: 12 Feb 2013, 0:07:06 UTC - in response to Message 1337064.  
Last modified: 12 Feb 2013, 0:12:59 UTC

Martin, are you saying that the Japanese involved in whaling are corrupt in the financial sense of the word?

If not I can think of far better words to describe their actions "Morally Bankrupt" would be a good starter for ten from me.

Judge for yourself:


(The first article gives a good overall summary. Not mentioned are also the likely motives of Amakudari and wider aspects as described by the observer Paul Watson)


(22/01/2011) Japan's whaling fleet on the run

IN THE shadows of intent, somewhere between harmless fireworks and deadly force, lies the whaling conflict in the Antarctic.

At one end of this spectrum are the stink bombs thrown against water jets. At the other is the near fatal collision involving the Ady Gil. ...

... after spending 23 years killing about 10,000 Antarctic minkes in the name of science, Japan's whalers are increasingly embattled.

They have seen the collapse of International Whaling Commission talks that might have given them a legitimate Antarctic kill, and taken a series of hits at home.

They had to share official blame for the Ady Gil shipwreck and were forced to apologise for running a whale-meat black market. In the legal trade the Japanese consumer appetite for their product is at best lukewarm.

Falling meat sales are stretching the finances of Japan's whaling agency, the Institute of Cetacean Research. And in the same way that tax laws finally caught up with the US gangster Al Capone, marine regulations are encircling Nisshin Maru, the world's last factory whaling ship. ...

... outlined to the court.

"This case presents a real chance to expose Japan's whaling once and for all as a sham and an abuse of its rights at the IWC,"...

... In Japan, where official corruption is consistently big news, damage to the whaling industry's image is significant, says Junichi Sato, of Greenpeace. "Whaling was considered untouchable in the past," Sato said. "Now this is just another corrupted operation."...




International Whaling Commission Debates Anti-Corruption Measures

... The move comes in the wake of allegations last year that Japan has been using aid money and personal favors to buy votes. Japan denies any wrongdoing...



Whaling body outlaws malpractice with anti-corruption reform

Arcane rules that have led to countries in the international organisation which governs whaling being widely accused of corruption, malpractice and secrecy have been swept aside in an attempt to end a series of scandals.

Practices whereby delegates to International Whaling Commission (IWC) meetings would arrive with briefcases of cash, and small country delegations would have their membership fees paid by another country, are to be outlawed. ...




Japanese whaling officials corrupt

JAPAN'S scientific whaling program has been condemned across the Australian political spectrum following revelations of corruption.

Five officials from the Japanese fisheries agency have been reprimanded for accepting gifts of whale meat worth more than $3000 from the organisation that runs the nation's whaling program.

A spokesman for the agency said the officials' behaviour was unacceptable, vowing that "prevention measures" would be taken...




Greenpeace: The whale meat scandal and the 'Tokyo Two'

Greenpeace activists Toru Suzuki and Junichi Sato have been facing trial for nearly two years in Japan and are now awaiting a final verdict. They are charged only for theft and trespass -- yet it has always been clear that they are being persecuted for so much more...



YouTube: Japan's Corrupt Whaling Industry Exposed

In a excerpt from the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program former Japanese crewmen blow the whistle on the stealing and selling whale meat from the so called ICR scientific expeditions...



And the saga rolls on.

How deep flows the Japanese whaling corruption?


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Martin
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Message 1337333 - Posted: 12 Feb 2013, 5:33:42 UTC - in response to Message 1337038.  

How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

Are you saying that all Japanese are corrupt, simply because they are Japanese?

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Message 1337438 - Posted: 12 Feb 2013, 14:20:34 UTC - in response to Message 1337333.  
Last modified: 12 Feb 2013, 14:26:49 UTC

How deep does the Japanese [whaling] corruption run?

Are you saying that all Japanese are corrupt, simply because they are Japanese?

Very clever to selectively quote from a few posts back... Are you now reduced to misquoting and slander for your trolling irrational attacks?

I've added back the context that you very deliberately ignore. Note also that this thread is focused on "Japanese whaling" (Japan Whale Slaughter 2012 - 2013).


Please try and offer something positive to discussions. Rather than trash everything, life is much better if you can add something constructive.

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Message 1337453 - Posted: 12 Feb 2013, 15:06:05 UTC - in response to Message 1337438.  
Last modified: 12 Feb 2013, 15:06:25 UTC

How deep does the Japanese corruption run?

Are you saying that all Japanese are corrupt, simply because they are Japanese?

Very clever to selectively quote from a few posts back... Are you now reduced to misquoting and slander for your trolling irrational attacks?

Not a misquote. It is exactly what you posted. And did so dozens of times, not only in this thread but the previous ones.

If you have changed you mind, that the words you typed were not what you meant, fine. That's why the question, which I note you sidestepped.

It leaves me wondering if it was what you believed at the time, or if you were intentionally being over broad to inflame and troll.
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Message 1337466 - Posted: 12 Feb 2013, 15:46:23 UTC - in response to Message 1337453.  
Last modified: 12 Feb 2013, 15:47:45 UTC

... or if you were intentionally being over broad to inflame and troll.

Not at all. Note the context "Japan Whale Slaughter 2012 - 2013". You have great adeptness to ignore context to fuel your FUD, mud-slinging and trolling. To include complete context all of the time would reduce these forums to a legalese-like turgid mess that noone would have the patience or interest to read. You also demonstrate a great adeptness to derail and pollute threads into a useless off-topic mess of banality and trolling.

Enough of your pernicious silliness. Please take further off-topic discussion to one of your own threads.

To kill this tangent, I think it is safe to say that there are various aspects of Japanese bureaucracy and the Japanese whaling institution/authority that can be considered to be corrupt. As partly detailed in Message 1337258 if you care to read anything.


You're welcome to continue your trolling on your own absolutism thread.

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Message 1339691 - Posted: 20 Feb 2013, 15:33:55 UTC

And the saga rolls on:


Whale Poachers’ Refuelling Vessel Sun Laurel Enters Australian Waters, Putting Pristine Antarctic Environment at Risk

... this morning, the fuel tanker for the Japanese whaling fleet, the Sun Laurel, entered the Australian Antarctic Exclusive Economic Zone...

"... A number of times my crew and I could smell diesel from the wake of the vessel ahead. We collected samples that we have onboard which exhale an odor of oil. We are very concerned, for an oil spill in these pristine Antarctic waters would have a catastrophic effect on the Antarctic wilderness."...

... the Yushin Maru made a wide turn towards the Sam Simon, creating a collision course that would have hit the Sam Simon at a ninety-degree angle. ...

... Sea Shepherd Australia believes the Sun Laurel is carrying Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) onboard, which places it in breach of MARPOL (the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships) ANNEX 1 Regulation 43, including a special Chapter 9, which prohibits the use and carriage of HFOs in the area.

All four ships are currently well inside the Australian Antarctic Territory, in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. ...

... Former Federal Minister for the Environment, Ian Campbell, stated, "The fuel tanker Sun Laurel is carrying HFOs in the region in contravention of international law. All conservation minded nations should demand that this cavalier attitude towards planet Earths’ last true wilderness end forthwith. The Australian Government should lead a demarche on the joint issues of the Japanese commercial whaling in contravention of the moratorium, and illegally bringing a refuelling vessel carrying HFOs into the region...



Guardian: Defending the integrity of the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary

... Captain Peter Hammarstedt was not about to watch the poachers transfer a dead whale to the factory ship without interference. He blocked the transfer. The factory ship and the harpoon vessels deployed prop fouling lines to stop him but the Bob Barker crew took to small boats and cut the lines.

It took 12 attempts and most of the day before they were able to transfer the poached whale.

They finally managed to do so by making an extremely dangerous lunge at the Bob Barker with the Nisshin Maru. Five times the size of the Bob Barker, the ramming would have breached the hull. Thus as Captain Hammarstedt had no choice but to dodge the collision...

... The injunction imposed on Sea Shepherd USA weakened the finances of the campaign, but it did something even more threatening to the crews of these four ships. It has emboldened the Japanese whalers.

The Japanese whalers have never before been more recklessly aggressive. The Sea Shepherd ships have been forced to yield to uphold our primary operational concern and that is to not cause any injuries to either side.

The whalers destroyed the Ady Gil in 2010 and did not have to answer for it. They were not even questioned. They have interpreted the US court injunction as de facto permission to be more aggressive. ...




How recklessly deep flows the Japanese whaling corruption?

And all in our so far unspoilt last haven on our only one planet...


All on our only one planet,
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Message 1339899 - Posted: 21 Feb 2013, 2:57:47 UTC - in response to Message 1339691.  
Last modified: 21 Feb 2013, 2:59:03 UTC

...Guardian: Defending the integrity of the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary

... They finally managed to do so by making an extremely dangerous lunge at the Bob Barker with the Nisshin Maru. Five times the size of the Bob Barker, the ramming would have breached the hull. Thus as Captain Hammarstedt had no choice but to dodge the collision...

... The Japanese whalers have never before been more recklessly aggressive. The Sea Shepherd ships have been forced to yield to uphold our primary operational concern and that is to not cause any injuries to either side.

The whalers destroyed the Ady Gil in 2010 and did not have to answer for it. They were not even questioned. They have interpreted the US court injunction as de facto permission to be more aggressive. ...




How recklessly deep flows the Japanese whaling corruption?

And all in our so far unspoilt last haven on our only one planet...



The Japanese whalers look to have run amok. All the Sea Shepherd boats have been rammed, some multiple times, and the Bob Barker holed and disabled for a time. The Nisshin Maru (8000 tons) also collided with the Sun Laural (5000 tons) their own tanker. And all perilously close to the Arctic coast and in amongst sea ice... Unbelievable. Judge for yourself:


Japanese whale poaching vessel, Nisshin Maru, rams S. Korean fuel tanker, Sea Shepherd ships Sam Simon, Steve Irwin, and Bob Barker

The SSS Bob Barker and SSS Steve Irwin have been rammed by the Japanese whaling fleet’s massive factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru. The floating slaughter-house is eight times the mass of the Steve Irwin. ...

... On loudspeaker, the Shonan Maru No. 2 ordered Sea Shepherd’s Australian flagged ship, the SSS Sam Simon, which is located in the Australian Antarctic Territory, to leave the area on the orders of the Government of Japan.[!] Concussion grenades were thrown at the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin by the crew of the Nissin Maru. ...

... The Nisshin Maru then fell back behind the Bob Barker, and rammed full speed into the portside stern of the Sun Laurel, shattering their portside life-raft, and destroying the davit to launch the other life-raft. The Nisshin Maru then rammed the Bob Barker again from behind, destroying one of their radars, and all of their masts.

The Bob Barker completely lost power and issued a MayDay distress call. As this distress call was issued, the Nisshin Maru turned away and began fleeing north. ...



YouTube: Antarctic seas: ships collide. Japanese whaler Nisshin Maru rams...

That shows a small part of the earlier stages of the rammings.


Japan halts whale hunt after Sea Shepherd clashes

... Bob Barker captain Peter Hammarstedt has told the ABC that it was the most dangerous confrontation he has ever experienced. "The Nisshin Maru collided with my vessel several times and I think we were about 15 to 20 seconds away from being rolled over completely," he said. ...


Ships collide in Antarctic whaling protest

Dramatic images have been sent from the Antarctic of the Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru colliding with other ships - including its own fuel-laden tanker.

The 8030-tonne Nisshin Maru can be seen amid pack ice grazing the stern of the 5741-tonne Sun Laurel near Australia's Davis station, in images sent by the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd. ...



Japan Suspends Whaling After Clashes with Sea Shepherd

... To say the last 24 hours have been messy would be an understatement. As you can see in photos like the one below, the combination of the Sea Shepherd’s four protest vessels, plus the Japanese fleet, one oil tanker, and dangerous ice conditions made for some very intense moments. ...




How recklessly deep flows the Japanese whaling corruption?

All on our only one planet,
Martin
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Message 1339978 - Posted: 21 Feb 2013, 19:43:41 UTC

After the dented metal and dented pride all round:



Our New Friends on the Whaling Fleet Tanker Sun Laurel

They might be considered unlikely friends, but the crew of the three Sea Shepherd ships and the crew of the South Korean tanker Sun Laurel found common cause after the captain of the Nisshin Maru rammed all four ships in what will be remembered as the landmark day in the battle for the sanctity of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. ...

... But the tide turned the moment the Sun Laurel was hit four times by the 8,000-ton Japanese whale butchering ship, sustaining significant damage to the davit on their primary lifeboat and the crane used to launch the secondary liferafts, rendering both inoperable and useless in an emergency ... on their thirty-day voyage back to South Korea, they will have no lifesaving equipment...

That was the final straw. The crew of the Sun Laurel let the Sea Shepherd know that they were not supporting the whalers and they were not happy their captain had brought them down to the Southern Ocean on what to them was a mysterious and illegal mission.

During the collision one of the Filipino seaman on the Sun Laurel tossed a bottle to one of the Sea Shepherd crew on the Bob Barker.

The note read: “To Research ship. Please: ‘May Day’ ‘Help’ All crew did not know to this Antarctic trip. So all crew don’t like to supply this fishing vessels. We cannot use telephone so we cannot speak to IMO. Please you as soon as possible catch action. Thank U.” ...

... Captain Peter Hammarstedt radioed the Captain of the Sun Laurel with an offer to give them a liferaft to replace the one that the Nisshin Maru had crushed. The tanker captain replied that he could make do, but appreciated the offer.

A few hours after the incident the Sun Laurel left to head north and away from the whaling fleet. The ICR announced that the fueling operation was suspended.

The Sun Laurel has headed north escorted by the Sam Simon, who is prepared to assist the ship in the event of a distress situation. Their company may have them stop to attempt another refueling north of Sixty degrees, but this is unlikely, as the Nisshin Maru is not following. ...

... the International Maritime Organization (IMO). We are reporting this to the Maritime Authorities in Panama regarding the violation of the MLC Convention. This will be our 2nd report- the first one was about the oil pollution...

... We can only hope that it is our last campaign in these waters, but if the Japanese whalers decide to return next December, we can promise that Sea Shepherd will be down here to meet them once again when they arrive.



Japan vows to keep whale hunt

TOKYO - Japan vowed on Thursday to continue its whale hunt in the Southern Ocean after clashes with the militant conservationist Sea Shepherd group, which claimed Tokyo had been forced to end the programme.

"We are keeping our whaling programme," an official at Japan's Fisheries Agency told AFP...





How recklessly deep flows the Japanese whaling corruption?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

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Message 1340000 - Posted: 21 Feb 2013, 20:33:32 UTC

Minor bit of irony for the Japanese whalers ramming their own Sun Laural fuel tanker:

As the Nisshin Maru prangs the superstructure, clearly visible in various videos in very big letters are the words painted on the superstructure "NO SMOKING" and "SAFETY FIRST"...




How recklessly deep flows the Japanese whaling corruption?

All on our only one planet,
Martin

See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)
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Message boards : Politics : Japan Whale Slaughter 2012 - 2013


 
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