http://www.seashepherd.org/migaloo/p...aru_No_2_3.jpg
The battle to save the ocean's whales has taken a turn 3000 miles north of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary,an area of 50 million square kilometres surrounding the continent of Antarctica where the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has banned all types of commercial whaling.
The Japanese pirate whaling vessel the Yushin Maru #2 left the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary on December 20th, 2008. They suffered ice damage to their prop while being pursued by the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin. It took the Yushin Maru #2, 16 days to arrive in Surabaya averaging only 7.5 knots a day.
While sitting just off the coast , it has been reported that the captain of the Yushin Maru, in order to gain entry, lied to Indonesian Port Authorities that is does not engage in whale killing and does even have a harpoon.
The Japanese Consulate General in Surabaya sent a letter to state-owned shipbuilding company PT PAL Surabaya on Wednesday guaranteeing that the vessel would not engage in any "illegal activity."
Sumarto said the Japanese consulate told Indonesian authorities that the vessel was engaged in scientific research and that it would not engage in any illegal activities.
"We didn't know the truth until we got information from local and international environmental groups about the activities of the Yushin Maru 2," Sumarto said.
This drama began on December 20th, 2008 when the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin pursued the Yushin Maru #2 into dense ice packs off the coast of Antarctica. As a storm moved in, the Steve Irwin broke off the pursuit and headed South as the harpoon vessel kept running North into heavier ice conditions, but not before the crew observed and photographed the Yushin Maru #2 with the harpoon clearly seen on the bow covered in a green tarp with the shape of the harpoon quite apparent.
“I could see the danger coming as the ice began to push the floes tighter together,” said Captain Paul Watson of the Steve Irwin. “The harpoon vessel seemed more afraid of us at the time than of the ice, and we last saw them on a course directly into the thick of it.”
The result was ice damage to the propeller that reduced the speed of the harpoon vessel from 21 knots to only 7.5 knots. It took the whaling ship 16 days to travel 3,000 miles North to Surabaya to seek repairs. Although both New Zealand and Australia were much closer, the ports of the two countries are closed to Japanese whaling vessels.
The vessel is denied entry to Australian and New Zealand ports because of its illegal whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Proof of the involvement of the Yushin Maru #2 in illegal lethal whaling can be found on the website of the Institute for Cetacean Research where the ship is listed as one of the three harpoon vessels of the Japanese whaling fleet.
We asked the Japanese whaling ship to go and it has left. We don't want to support any illegal fishing," said Sumarto Suharno, head of the East Java Natural Resources Conservation Office, or KSDA.
Warning: The below video contains footage that is graphic & revolting
http://vimeo.com/2834083
