Ocean Defence
News From Our Oceans
Rossport - Update straight from the front line
01-09-2008 17:51
The week ending 31st August saw Rossport Solidarity camp reborn and the week of action against offshore pipeline work extended.
The week of action was called in anticipation of the arrival of the world’s largest pipeline ship, the Solitaire. However, due to bad weather conditions the ship’s arrival was delayed. Nonetheless, actions took place throughout the week against preparatory pipeline work, including disruption of dredging work designed to create the trench for the pipe, site invasions into Shell’s compound, and a visit by Shell to Sea kayakers to the Solitaire.
Friday the 29th of August saw better weather conditions and the arrival of the winching rig and cable and the return of the dredging machine into the bay.
The Navy also arrived (the first time the Navy has ever been used in an operation against a civil demonstration).
If the good weather holds, Shell will attempt to complete the near shore part of the pipeline in the next few days.
Believed to be booked up for the next 2 years, the Solitaire has a very short time frame to complete its part in the pipeline construction. Resistance now is crucial and the Rossport community have made a call out for people to come to the area to support the campaign. Check out feature additions and comments for regular updates.
The rest of the article outlines some of the recent history of the campaign...
Japan issues arrest warrant for Nottingham activist
22-08-2008 18:13
Japan has issued an arrest warrant for a Nottingham-based activist, alleging that he damaged the country's whaling fleet. Warrants have been issued for Daniel Bebawi, a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and two American volunteers and the Japanese government has sought to have the three placed on the Interpol wanted list.
The three all participated in the Sea Shepherd Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Leviathan in December 2006 and January and February 2007. The charges apparently stem from an collision between Japanese whaling vessel Keiko Maru and the Sea Shepherd ship Robert Hunter. The incident was investigated by the Australian Federal police at the time, with forensic evidence demonstrating that the Kaiko Maru had rammed the Robert Hunter.
Interviews with Dan: Back in Nottingham (audio) | On board the ship (text)
Reading: Sea Shepherd press release | Evening Post article
Previous feature: Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica
Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Operation Leviathan website | Wikipedia on Japanese Whaling | Indymedia UK Ocean defence page
Campaigners Celebrate Victory On EU Seal Ban
05-07-2008 11:19
There is good news for campaigners on the proposed EU ban on the import on seal products from Canada. The EU's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has just announced to EU ministers that legislation for a trade ban on all seal products from Canada will come into force in a matter of weeks.
The Canadian slaughter of over 350.000 baby harp seals takes place each year around March/April off the east coast of Canada in Newfoundland. The 'hunt' has been widely condemned around the world, but the Canadian government is ademend in its continued support. The new announcement is seen as a big victory for campaigners.
Audio: Interview With Captain Onboard Sea Shepherd Ship On Current Seal Hunt
Previous feature: Armed Canadian Coast Guard Storms Conservation Vessel
On the newswire: Sea Shepherd Moves In On Canadian Seal Slaughter | Seal Slaughter: contacts to protest | Canadian Seal Hunt: New attack by Brigitte Bardot and Franz Weber | Stop Canada's Seal Hunt | Biggest Seal Hunt in 50 Years Draws Protest | Stop Seal Hunt - Hunters Allowed To Kill 350,000 Young Seals This Year
Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Canadian Seal Hunt | Harpseals.org | Wikipedia on Seal Hunt | Ocean Defence Topic Page
Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales
26-06-2008 10:44
Fifteen people were arrested by police at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), held this year in Santiago, Chile. The protesters were supposedly trying to 'storm' the meeting but other reports state that the mere presence of people in front of the meeting's venue was seen as a 'security threat'.
The IWC meets annually to regulate the whaling industry and make decisions on conservation of whale populations. So far the meeting hasn't reached any agreements and the commission continues to be strongly devided between the pro- and anti-whaling nations. Skye Bortoli, an activist from Teens Against Whaling described the meeting this year as 'pathetic', saying "this body will be known in the future as a small group of ecologically arrogant people who are condemning the world’s whales to agony and oblivion for petty politics and a few lousy bucks."
Related Audio: Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson Talks in London | Interview With Nottingham Activist On Return From Whale Saving Mission
Related Newswire: Sea Shepherd Announces New Whale Defense Campaign: Operation Musashi | Iceland Defies Moratorium On Commercial Whaling - Whale Hunt Started | Norway Starts Whale Hunting Season
Previous Features: Armed Canadian Coast Guard Storms Conservation Vessel | Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica | Injured Among Sea Shepherd Crew As Japanese Military Open Fire | Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean
Links: IWC official website | Wikipedia on IWC | Teens Against Whaling | Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Greenpeace | Santiago Indymedia | Indymedia Ocean Defence
Full article | 1 addition | 2 comments
Armed Canadian Coast Guard Storms Conservation Vessel
14-04-2008 17:43
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Farley Mowat was attacked by armed officers from the Canadian Coast Guard on 12th April. The 1st officer and the captain of the ship have been arrested and will be brought before a court in Canada charged with offences related to coming too close to the seal hunt. One woman allegedly sustained a head injury when was roughed up and received a blow to the head by an officer. The ship has been impounded and is currently being towed to a nearby port.
The Sea Shepherd has been documenting the Canadian seal hunt since the middle of March. On the 30th March, the Coast Guard rammed the Sea Shepherd ship twice, in an attempt to keep it away from the seal hunt. On 5th April, the ship was attacked by a mob of 30-40 angry seal hunters while anchored in the French island of St. Pierre. The crew of the Farley Mowat has been documenting violations of the humane regulations and gathering proof that seals are still being killed in an inhumane manner. The EU Parliament will be voting on an import ban on seal products later this year. The Canadian goverment has been actively lobbying to show that the hunt has become 'humane and sustainable'.
On the newswire: Sea Shepherd Sets Conditions for Canada to Release seized Ship | Armed Canadian Coast Guard Storms Sea Shepherd Ship and Arrests Crew | Canada To Charge Sea Shepherd Crew For Documenting Seal Hunt | Sea Shepherd Crew Attacked By Mob Of Seal Hunters | Interview With Captain Onboard Sea Shepherd Ship On Current Seal Hunt | Canadian Coast Guard Rams Sea Shepherd Ship (twice) | Sea Shepherd Moves In On Canadian Seal Slaughter
Previous features: Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica | Injured Among Sea Shepherd Crew As Japanese Military Open Fire | Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean
Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Canadian Seal Hunt | Harpseals.org | Wikipedia on Seal Hunt
Nottingham Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica
29-03-2008 10:31
A Nottingham resident who joined the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as part of their crew on the vessel Steve Irwin has returned home. Dan, who has volunteered with Sea Shepherd previously, rejoined in the middle of this year's anti-whaling mission against the continued Japanese whale hunting activities in the Southern Ocean. Named Operation Migaloo, after the only known albino humpback in the world, this was Sea Shepherd's fourth expedition to the remote southern waters off the coast of Antarctica and has been typically eventful.
In January, two Sea Shepherd volunteers were taken hostage by Japanese whalers. Then in March, several of the crew were injured when the Japanese military threw grenades onto the ship and opened fire on them. The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin covered a total of 20,090 nautical miles (37,205 kilometers) during Opertaion Migaloo and made 3 return trips from Melbourne, Australia to the coast of Antarctica in 3½ months. In total, the ship was at sea for 83 days between December 5, 2007 and March 15, 2008. It is estimated that due to continued harrasment by the Sea Shepherd, the Japanese have not managed to get even half their whale quota this hunting season.
Upcoming: Sea Shepherd Fundraiser, 21 May, at Junktion 7. See Veggies diary entry for more info.
Interviews with Dan: Back in Nottingham (audio) | On board the ship (text)
UK Indymedia features: Sea Shepherd Activists Injured As Japanese Military Open Fire | Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean
Links: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society | Mission Migaloo website | Wikipedia on Japanese Whaling
Sea Shepherd activists injured as Japanese military open fire
07-03-2008 12:37
A clash between the crew of the Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin, who is in the Southern Ocean to fight the ongoing Japanese whaling slaughter near the Antarctic, turned violent when the Japanese Coast Guard began to throw flash grenades at its crew. Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd ship was struck by a bullet in the chest. Fortunately, the bullet was stopped by his Kevlar vest.
Other injuries were sustained by crewmembers Australian Ashley Dunn and Ralph Lowe. Dunn suffered a hip injury as he tried to get out of the way of the exploding grenades. Lowe received bruises to his back when one of the flash grenades exploded behind him. Japan is denying that any bullets have been fired, saying "warning devices" were thrown after their ship was attacked. According to the Japanese foreign ministry their coastguard on board on of the whaling ships had thrown a "baseball-sized device, which exploded near the activists' ship emitting a loud noise". However, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has posted a video on their website, clearly showing devices being thrown from the whaling ship exploding and a bullet being recovered from Paul Watson's jacket. One UK activist (from Nottingham) is also onboard the ship, but it has not been reported he suffered any injuries.
Video: Of the incident, made by the Sea Shepherd
On the newswire: Japanese Officials Caught Lying on Firearm Use against Sea Shepherd | Sea Shepherd: Japanese Scramble to Spin Shooting Story | Japanese Open Fire on Sea Shepherd Crew: Three Injured | Japanese Whaling Fleet Confronted By Sea Shepherd | Sea Shepherd Aussie Crew Prepared to Be Taken as Prisoners to Japan | Interview With Nottingham Activist In Southern Ocean On Board Sea Shepherd Ship | Sea Shepherd Receives Message From the Australian Government | Sea Shepherd Finds Japanese Whaling Fleet: They Are On the Run Again
Previous feature articles: Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean | Japanese Whaling Ship rams Greenpeace vessel
Links: Sea Shepherd Convervation Society | Wikipedia on Japanese Whaling
Activists Held Hostage By Japanese Whalers In Southern Ocean
21-01-2008 11:24
During the early hours of January 15th, two crew members of the Sea Shepherd vessel, 'Steve Irwin', were taken hostage by the Japanese harpoon vessel 'Yushin Maru No. 2', which is now nominally owned by the Japanese government through the "Institute for Cetecean Research" (ICR). The incident occurred in the area of 60 Degrees South and 78 Degrees East about 2500 miles southwest of Fremantle, Western Australia and 2800 miles southeast of Cape Town, South Africa. Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane boarded the vessel to deliver a letter to the Japanese captain stating that the whalers were in violation of international conservation law by targeting endangered species in an established whale sanctuary and in violation of a global moratorium on commercial whaling. They also notified the captain that Australia had just passed a court ruling barring Japanese whalers from the Australian Antarctic Economic Exclusion Zone.
The hostages were released from the Yushin Maru No. 2 and transfered to the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking on January 17th. The two men were then transferred to the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin where they resumed chasing the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Oceans. Both men reported that although they were roughed up when they first boarded the whaling ship, that they were treated well during their time onboard. The only injury was a bruised wrist suffered by Giles Lane.
Previous feature: Japanese Whaling Ship rams Greenpeace vessel
On the newswire: Sea Shepherd: Greenpeace should Refuel and Continue harassment of Whaling Fleet | DC Protest For Sea Shepherd Hostages Video | Lack of Cooperation May Kill the Whales | Sea Shepherd Hostages Return Back to Steve Irwin | NYC Protest for Sea Shepherd Hostages | Whalers Hands Activists Over To Australia's Ship | Sea Shepherd demo, Barcelona | Australia to intercede in Safe Return of Sea Shepherd activists | Whalers threaten to take activists to Japan | Sea Shepherd Solidarity Protest at Japanese Embassy, Berlin | Sea Shepherd Crew Remain Hostages On The Japanese Whaling Ship | Whalers Make Demands Over Hostages | Video of Sea Shepherd Activists Taken Hostage | Sea Shepherd considering rescue mission | Embassy Demo for kidnapped Sea sheperd Crew | Sea Shepherd volunteers 'detained' by Japanese whalers | URGENT - protestors held hostage by Japanese wailing ship | British Sea Shepherd activist held hostage on Japanese whaler | Japanese whalers take Sea Shepherds hostage
Links: Sea Shepherd Convervation Society | Greenpeace campaign against whaling | Wikipedia on Japanese Whaling
Full article | 1 addition | 4 comments
Whalers use Public Relations to twist the truth
18-01-2006 22:37
Japanese whalers have hired a New Zealand Public Relations firm to smear anti-whaling protestors. Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are both campaigning seperately against the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Images used in a media release by the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) "is deliberate, manipulative, misinformation designed to feed the idea that the two groups work together" said Jon Sumby. [Full Story]
Off the Mawson coast in the Australian Antarctic Territory, 2000 nautical miles south-west of Perth, Canadian Greenpeace anti-whaling activist, Texas Joe Constantine, was dragged overboard into the freezing Antarctic waters after the whaling harpoon was fired over his inflatable and the harpoon rope became entangled in the craft.
Paul Watson for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has said the Japanese whaling fleet is a criminal operation and Intends to Ram and Disable Pirate Whalers but has offered to withdraw from the current campaign against the Japanese whaling fleet if either the Australian or New Zealand Government agrees to take Japan to court over the whaling issue. In New Zealand Maritime workers have blackbaned the whaling fleet.
More Information:
Full article | 2 additions | 4 comments
Japanese Whaling Ship rams Greenpeace vessel
09-01-2006 12:23
After three days of obstructing the whale hunt by placing inflatable zodiacs between whales and the harpoon, the Nisshin Maru rammed the Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise. The whalers are counter claiming their ship was rammed by Greenpeace. The collision ocurred in the Australian Antarctic Territory in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The Nisshin Maru has continued north at full speed, with three conservationists ships in pursuit, including the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel, the Farley Mowat.
Article with more photos: Japanese Whaling Ship rams Greenpeace vessel in Southern Whale Sanctuary
Links: Previous feature article on Global Indymedia | Melbourne Indymedia | Sea Shepherd website | Greenpeace website | Video of Greenpeace statement | Sea Shepherd News Release
