The often controversial Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) on Tuesday announced the commissioning of a new high speed trimaran vessel named the Ady Gil with which it hopes to interdict the Japanese whaling fleet in Antarctica. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society considers Japanese whaling activities to be illegal, despite an International Whaling Commission research permit.
The Ady Gil is the vessel formerly known as The Earth Race which completed a circuit of the globe in less than 61 days in 2008 and was then acquired and renamed by the SSCS. According to the SSCS website, the Ady Gil will join the larger SSCS vessel Steve Irwin in a mission to stop Japanese whaling in Antarctica. SSCS Deputy CEO in charge of ship’s operations, Chuck Swift, is quoted as saying “We are very optimistic that with these two ships, and some other surprises, we will shut down whaling in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary.”
Japan has an International Whaling Commission research permit allowing them to hunt and kill 1000 whales each year in the name of research. The goal of the research is to find out what whales a re eating and how they affect fish populations. The methodology of the study involves killing the whales, examining the contents of their stomachs and then selling the remainder of the whale for profit on the commercial market. The Associated Press reports that the most recent Japanese whale hunt mission, returning with 59 dead minke whales, reported that they eat a lot of pollack. Most conservationists believe that the so called research is just a cover for commercial whaling activities.
The SSCS flies a logo flag reminiscent of the skull and crossbones flown by colonial era pirates and known as the jolly roger. Their tactics have, in the past involved ramming whaling vessels. The SSCS is perhaps best known for flamboyantly boarding and seizing the Spanish replica of Columbus’ ship Santa Maria as a protest against 500 years of oppression of the First Nations tribes of Canada as it sailed to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the original voyage.
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Comments
We're not sure if anyone stopped for a minute during the "1 Million dollar big check moment" with Sea Shepherd last month to really think about the acquisition of their high speed Earthrace vessel.
Renamed the Ady Gil and painted a nice black, the self styled eco warriors from Sea Shepherd have been touting this ship as their new weapon against Japanese whaling.
All we noticed were the two giant propellers at the back of the vessel that to us looked like big trouble for whales.
With a top speed of 45 knots the renamed Ady Gil credits at least one very serious collision with "submerged debris" during her life at sea.
"Shortly after leaving Palau on day 34, Earthrace struck submerged debris which sheared two blades off the port propeller and bent the drive shaft. This necessitated a return to Palau in order to assess the damage and remove the prop."
The propellers are German-designed, c
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