Sea Shepherd Activists Detained on Japanese Whaler

Three anti-whaling activists are being held on a Japanese whaling vessel owned by the government, according to a statement from activist group Sea Shepherd on Saturday.

The three Australians, who were part of the Forest Rescue Australia group working with the Sea Shepherd, attempted to board the whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2 in a “daring move,” the statement read. 

The Shonan was tailing the Sea Shepherd flagship Steve Irwin around 20 miles off the coast of Western Australia. By boarding the vessel, the activists hoped to get the Shonan off the Sea Shepherd’s tail.

“They were met by two small boats from the Steve Irwin,” Sea Shepherd said. “The boats approached the Shonan Maru under the cover of darkness and the three negotiated their way past the razor wire and spikes and over the rails to successfully board the Japanese whaling vessel.”

When boarding the vessel, they said they came with a message, “Return us to shore in Australia and then remove yourself from our waters,” according to the anti-whaling group’s statement. 

The Australians, identified as 47-year-old Geoffrey Owen Tuxworth, 44-year-old Simon Peterffy, and 27-year-old Glen Pendlebury, are believed to still be on the Japanese whaling ship, which has armed Japanese security forces. They are being held within a 24-mile zone.

Forest Rescue, in a statement, said they boarded the vessel because the Japanese whaling fleet is circumventing Australian law by operating there. The conservation group normally centers its work on the forests of Australia, but said the activist made the move to support Sea Shepherd.

“We are onboard this ship because our government has failed to uphold its pre-election promise to end whaling in the Southern Ocean,” said Peterffy.

Forest Rescue said the Australian government, which has publicly condemned Japan’s whaling endeavors in the Southern Ocean, should enforce the laws regarding illegal whaling activities in the region. “Forest Rescue are insulted and disappointed in our government for allowing the transit of whale poaching vessels in Australian waters,” according to the statement.

A spokesperson with Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research told the Australian Associated Press that the men are still on the ship and are not hurt. “They risk being taken to Japan to be tried for trespassing, or for other charges,” said Glen Inwood said, the New Zealand-born Institute of Cetacean Research spokesperson.

Sea Shepherd’s vessels have gone after Japanese whaling ships during their annual whale hunt for the past several years. The activist group claims Japan is killing whales for meat but Japan’s government has maintained that the whales are for research purposes.

Last year, Japanese whalers left the hunt early after being dogged by Sea Shepherd vessels. Sea Shepherd estimated that the whaling ships managed to take less than 10 percent of their usual quota, saving about 900 whales, before being chased home.

In February 2010, Sea Shepherd Capt. Peter Bethune was arrested by Japanese officials for charges including trespassing after he boarded the same the Shonan Maru 2 ship, to make a citizen’s arrest of the captain. After spending five months in a Tokyo jail, Bethune was deported back to New Zealand.