Anti-whaling boat rammed by Japanese whaling vessel
- Wed, 6 Jan 2010
- Comments (8)
Ady Gill (formerly Earthrace) has had her bow sliced clean off by a Japanese whaling vessel as the battle between the two sides reaches new extremes.
Owned by the ocean conservationist society Sea Shepherd, Ady Gill - formerly Earthrace, the fastest powerboat to circumnavigate the globe - was idling near Commonwealth Bay in the Antarctic when it was rammed by whaling vessel Shonan Maru, decapitating the bow.
According to the Times Online the $1.5 million boat was badly damaged but all six crew were unharmed.
Australia director for Sea Shepherd, Jeff Hansen says: "The crew saw the Shonan Maru approaching and tried to back away but they couldn't get out of the way in time and were T-boned by her.
"The Shonan put a hole in the Ady Gil and the nose has clean broken off," he added.
According to Captain Chuck Swift, an eyewitness who was on board the Bob Barker, a Sea Shepherd support vessel and the latest addition to their fleet, it is unlikely that Ady Gill will be saved.
Have your say!
Latest comments
Stephen Ross
February 20 09:16
After watching the video I do think the fishing boat is at fault, and whats all the squirting with the hoses all about.?
Paul Jenkins
February 10 23:39
I'm probably way behind the times with this - but for what it is worth - it seems clear to me the Sea Shepherd deliberately drove in front of the whaling boat. Just look at the propwash before the impact........
John Dowling
February 08 18:23
I think the headline is wrong; look at the prop-wash at the sterns of the Ady Gill. Initially idling ahead, it increases dramatically from both propellors and accelerates as the 2 ships close. If they wanted to avoid the Japanese trawler, they would either have both engines astern or full ahead port and stbd reverse. No, they either thought they could cut across in front of the trawler, and badly mis-judged it; put the engines full ahead instead of full astern; or deliberately drove into the trawler for propaganda purposes. Whichever, the Ady Gill rammed the Japanese ship and not the other way around. Both ships, of course, in violation of the ColRegs.
Gerald Sturtridge
February 07 17:53
The video seems to show that Ady Gill was creating a wash as if steaming into the path of Shonan Maru and not taking avoiding action as claimed.