Environmental activists and Japanese whalers have been going at it for a while now and the conflict has escalated earlier this week in the Ross Sea. After pursuing a Japanese whaling vessel in the Ross Sea for nine days, the environmental activist ship The Bob Barker collided with the Yushin Maru No. 3.
The collision occurred on Feb. 2 on the Ross Sea off the coast of New Zealand. While no injuries were reported during the collision, both sides are pointing fingers about who is to be blamed for the incident. The Bob Barker is a ship operated by the Sea Shepherd, an organization aiming to put an end to whaling for good. The ship has been named after Bob Barker, the host of the game show "The Price is Right," who donated a large amount of money to the organization.
According to the members of Sea Shepherd, the Japanese whaling vessel was on the offensive laying out steel cables in an effort to dissuade members of Sea Shepherd from hampering their operations. However, the vessels collided when they moved too close to each other causing damage to the anchor and bow of the protest ship.
"It was an unprovoked attack and they did so ruthlessly," said The Bob Barker captain Peter Hammarstedt in a statement to The Associated Press.
However, the Japanese are also saying that crew of The Bob Barker caused the incident. According to their version of the incident, two rubber boats deployed by Sea Shepherd laid down ropes in front of the Japanese whaling vessel. The ropes were then entangled in the vessel's propeller before The Bob Barker moved in too close, colliding with the ship. The Yushin Maru No. 3 was engaged in a whale hunt sponsored by the Institute of Cetacean Research based in Tokyo.
"Our research whaling is a legitimate activity allowed under the international treaty. Sea Shepherd's violent sabotage against it, which is threatening the lives of the Japanese crewmembers and causing damage to our ships and equipment, cannot be tolerated," said the Japanese Fisheries Agency.
