Jan 8, 2011 11:37 GMT  ·  By
The high-speed MV Gojira is currently chasing after the factory ship of the illegal Japanese whaling fleet
   The high-speed MV Gojira is currently chasing after the factory ship of the illegal Japanese whaling fleet

The three ships of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) fleet are keeping the illegal Japanese whaling fleet in check in the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Two of the harpoon ships the Asian nations deployed have not captured a single whale thus far.

SSCS is conducting Operation No Compromise with three vessels, the already-famous Steve Irwin, the Bob Barker and the monohull trimaran MV Gojira. Together, these ships are preventing the four vessels of the Japanese whaling fleet from causing any damage in the Antarctic.

A couple of nights ago, the Steve Irwin and the MV Gojira had their second confrontation of the season, when they went up against a Japanese harpoon ship that had been following them for a few days.

The event took place on the International Date Line on January 5. Steve Irwin and Bob Barker, as the largest SSCS ships, are constantly followed by two Japanese harpoon vessels, whereas the MV Gojira is itself following the factory ship Nisshin Maru.

Activists with Sea Shepherd discovered the Japanese whaling fleet on December 31st, 2010, and have kept up with it ever since. This is how they know for sure that two of the three harpoon vessels did not kill a single whale.

“As the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker pursue the Nisshin Maru, harpoon vessel the Yushin Maru #2 is tailing the Steve Irwin, while the Yushin Maru #3 Tails the Bob Barker,” an SSCS statement says.

“The situation is somewhat complicated because as the Sea Shepherd ships chase the Nisshin Maru, the harpoon vessels chase the Sea Shepherd ships to relay positions ahead to the Nisshin Maru so that the factory ship can avoid being caught,” the press release adds.

“However, Sea Shepherd has the advantage of the high speed Gojira vessel to scout ahead and to continue in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru,” SSCS goes on to say.

MV Gojira has recently deployed high-altitude weather balloons, which contain imaging and radar equipment. This allows the environmentalists to keep track of the factory ship at ranges of up to 150 miles.

The third harpoon vessel is currently not accounted for, but SSCS believes it is located with the factory ship. If a single whale is hunted, then the two will need to stop to transfer the carcass from one to the other, and the rest of the SSCS fleet will catch up with them.

Over the last eight days, the Japanese fleet traveled more than a thousand miles through treacherous, icy waters. They will most likely continue to run until they need to refuel.

SSCS plans to stop that from happening, provided that the Antarctic Treaty stipulates no large vessel is allowed to refuel below the 60 degrees latitude.

“What we have down here in the Southern Ocean are seven ships, four on their side and three on ours, engaged in a cat and mouse pursuit over thousands of miles of remote and dangerous seas,” announced Steve Irwin's Captain and SSCS' leader, Paul Watson.

“We chase them. They chase us, but the important thing is that we are all running, wasting away the miles, and buying time for the whales. Every day they don’t kill whales is a victory. We can sustain this running confrontation until the end of March, and the end of the whaling season if need be,” he added.