Sea Shepherd halts chase of Japanese Whalers to refuel

[Annces]

Japanese whalers 'free to slaughter'
Posted Sat Jan 3, 2009 10:36am AEDT






The Steve Irwin has returned to land for refueling. (Sea Shepherd)The anti-whaling ship the Steve Irwin is withdrawing from its pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean to refuel.

The captain of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's protest ship, Paul Watson, says the move will leave the Japanese fleet free to slaughter whales over the next fortnight.

Captain Watson says the Steve Irwin has prevented the fleet from catching any whales for the past two weeks.

But he says now the protest ship needs to refuel, there is nothing standing in the way of the Japanese whalers.

"It's frustrating but we had to do this last year - we don't have any choice," he said.

"It will probably take us two weeks and then we'll be back again.

"Last year we chased them until March and the only time they were able to kill whales was when we came back.

"Unfortunately we only have the one vessel and we don't really have any support down here, so we don't really have much choice."

Captain Watson says the Japanese fleet "refuels illegally".

"They bring a supply vessel in. You're not allowed to do that but they do it anyway and nobody does anything. We don't have that luxury.

"Australia should have a boat down in these areas, especially in the Australian Antarctic Territory, where there seems to be no monitoring of exploitation of anything - whales or fish or anything."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/03/2458480.htm?section=justin

[bitchkitty]

1. They need two boats -

One for backup. When they start running out of fuel, the other boat comes and takes over while they go to refuel.

If I win the lottery... :(

[flvegan]

2. The other boat could be a refuelling tanker, like the Japanese have.

Don't know if the Japanese are using the illegal and deflagged Oriental Bluebird this year, but that's how they stay out the whole season.

Sea Shepherd had expected to have two ships this year, but I think having the Farley Mowat under arrest in Canada caused them to rethink another purchase right now.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Who is the Sea Shepard flagged by these days?

Just wondering if the claims are a PKB kind of thing.

[flvegan]

5. Netherlands registry, Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy flag

Last I heard.

[I Have A Dream]

3. Yeah, me too...

if I win the lottery...

:cry: