Sea Shepherd scout vessel Brigitte Bardot has been severely affected by a powerful wave

Dec 29, 2011 13:45 GMT  ·  By

While seeking for the Japanese whaling fleet, the Sea Shepherd scout vessel Brigitte Bardot was severely damaged by a giant wave.

The impact has cracked the hull and affected one of the pontoons of the vessel. This unfortunate incident will probably delay the anti-whaling intervention.

Captain Paul Watson, boarded on Sea Shepherd flagship Steve Irwin, is currently trying to reach the damaged vessel, fighting the bad weather conditions to guarantee the safety of all the crew members from the Brigitte Bardot scout vessel, now located 1500 miles southwest of Fremantle, Western Australia.

Apparently, accomplishing this mission will take at least 20 hours, according to Captain Watson.

After making sure that all ten crew members are safe, The Steve Irwin will escort the damaged vessel to Fremantle, where it will be repaired.

Since now the Sea Shepherd no longer represents an emerging impediment, the Japanese whaling tradition can carry on unimpeded. However, once this problem is solved, Sea Shepherds will continue its anti-whaling mission in the Southern Ocean.

Even though the anti-whaling intervention developed by Sea Shepherd has been delayed, activists have all it takes to prevent the Japanese fleet from respecting the controversial annual tradition, including high-tech gadgets, Treehugger informs.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, aiming to stop the whale massacre, exploits the advantages offered by drone aircrafts that can fly and track the ships of the enemy.

It appears that the useful tools are the result of a generous donation made by Bayshore Recycling Corp. of Woodbridge, New Jersey.

The best part is that even if the Japanese vessel manages to escape, the drones would still be able to provide useful information, helping activists localize it and drown the hunting plans of the Japanese crew members.

In order to complete its mission, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society counts on the help of 100 volunteers.