Founder of Sea Shepherd Arrested in Germany

[Weak Kitten]

Reminds me of PETA a bit as they're another group people despise despite fundamentally being against animal cruelty.

I've always found it telling that representatives of the American Humane Society have been quoted speaking out against PETA. When the organization that actually DOES protect animals thinks you are a bunch of useless freaks you have a problem.

When was the last time you heard of PETA working together with law enforcement to shut down a dog-fighting ring? Or rescue all the dogs from a puppy mill? No, sorry, that's the Humane Society. They know how to actually get things done.

 

[NoahFence]

It's a multi million dollar slice of the Japanese economy.

And the whale harvest is well within the sustainable yield, so it isn't harmful to the ecology. Tuna, I'm not so sure.

They're doing it in a protected wildlife sanctuary.

It's illegal.

 

[NoahFence]

It sounds as if this canal runs both ways. Link. "Bethune was at the helm of the Sea Shepherd boat when its bow was shorn off by Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 in waters off the frozen continent in January." I am not sure what transpired before this.

Bethune and the Ady Gil weren't even moving. The Shonan Maru 2 changed course to deliberately attempt murder. That can't even be debated for crying out loud.

 

[NoahFence]

...they are vigilantes...they take the law into their own hands..rather than letting the appropriate authorities deal with it

That's the problem. The "appropriate authorities" DO NOTHING.

 

[Careyp74]

It sounds as if this canal runs both ways. Link. "Bethune was at the helm of the Sea Shepherd boat when its bow was shorn off by Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 in waters off the frozen continent in January." I am not sure what transpired before this.

Rules of navigation apply here. Smaller vessels with easier maneuverability need to yield to bigger vessels when both are under power (using engines, not wind).

 

[Careyp74]

Bethune and the Ady Gil weren't even moving. The Shonan Maru 2 changed course to deliberately attempt murder. That can't even be debated for crying out loud.

That is a pretty nice wake for not being moving.

 

[Macgyver1968]

Bethune and the Ady Gil weren't even moving. The Shonan Maru 2 changed course to deliberately attempt murder. That can't even be debated for crying out loud.

Really? Let's look at the video:



Look at the back of the Ady Gill from the beginning of the video to around 07 second mark. Virtually no prop wash, and the Japanese boat is well to the left of their vessel. Then look what happens around the 14-15 second mark. The prop wash dramatically increases, and the boat begins to move forward...right into the path of the Japanese vessel.

 

[NoahFence]

That is a pretty nice wake for not being moving.

What wake are you referring to? They're idling - then the Japanese whaling vessel turns right into them. Only then do you see the Ady Gil try to get out of the way. This can't be interpreted any other way!




I guess we need another view....



It's pretty clear that whaling ship turned right into the Ady Gil.

 

[TimCallahan]

Whatever happened to jojoba oil? It was supposed to be a superior alternative to whale oil? I also wonder that bioengineering can't be sued to create a plant-based oil superior to whale oil. Destroy the market for whale oil, and whaling should be greatly reduced.

 

[Macgyver1968]

It's pretty clear that whaling ship turned right into the Ady Gil.

It's also pretty clear that the Ady Gil was moving forward.

This is what an intentional ramming looks like:

 

[NoahFence]

For some reason I can't open that last video you posted.

And yes, the Ady Gil was moving, about as fast as my cat can walk. There is NO DOUBT that the whaling vessel rammed the Ady Gil on purpose. None. For crying out loud, they turned so sharply the damn thing almost went horizontal!

 

[Noztradamus]

What wake are you referring to? They're idling - then the Japanese whaling vessel turns right into them. Only then do you see the Ady Gil try to get out of the way. This can't be interpreted any other way!




I guess we need another view....



It's pretty clear that whaling ship turned right into the Ady Gil.

That's not how ships turn. When large ship changes course, the bow stays right where it is and the rudder forces the stern in the opposite direction of the intended turn.

For Ady Gil to go under the bow, it had to move forward. Suicide by whaling ship.

 

[Careyp74]

What wake are you referring to? They're idling - then the Japanese whaling vessel turns right into them. Only then do you see the Ady Gil try to get out of the way. This can't be interpreted any other way!

You are correct, the video I saw started too late and the boat moving was from being dragged.

I do know that the accepted maneuver for two boats under power avoiding head on collision, or against another boat you are on the port side of, is a starboard turn, the former situation resulting in a port to port passage, the latter opening up your closest point of which is what was performed. If the small boat wants to confuse a large vessel and stop directly in it's way, it should expect to get rammed. Had they been of the same class of ship or boat, the whaler would have had to yield.

 

[NoahFence]

That's not how ships turn. When large ship changes course, the bow stays right where it is and the rudder forces the stern in the opposite direction of the intended turn.

For Ady Gil to go under the bow, it had to move forward. Suicide by whaling ship.

OK, so you're saying that the Harpoon ship (Built for speed and maneuverability BTW) didn't turn into the Ady Gil at all?

 

[NoahFence]

Lets see the look of evil on the face of the dastardly Pete Bethune, as he steers his own ship into the gaping maw of the unsuspecting Japanese whalers:

That is the face of a man intent on doing something deadly to himself and his crew, eh?

OR

It could have been the look of a guy relaxing after taking on fuel from the Bob Barker, about 10 seconds before the biggest WTF moment of his life.

 

[Chris_Halkides]

both to blame

Link here:

The director of Maritime New Zealand, Catherine Taylor, said the Japanese skipper initially had responsibility for keeping his vessel clear of the Ady Gil as the overtaking vessel.

"He had ample opportunity to avoid the close quarters situation that subsequently developed, but failed to do so," she said. He also "failed to take positive and ample action to avoid colliding with Ady Gil".

But once the vessels were at close quarters, the captain of the Ady Gil "failed to respond by taking appropriate evasive action – choosing instead to maintain his course and speed, which allowed the close quarters situation to develop into a collision risk", Taylor said.

 

[NoahFence]

Link here:

The director of Maritime New Zealand, Catherine Taylor, said the Japanese skipper initially had responsibility for keeping his vessel clear of the Ady Gil as the overtaking vessel.

"He had ample opportunity to avoid the close quarters situation that subsequently developed, but failed to do so," she said. He also "failed to take positive and ample action to avoid colliding with Ady Gil".

But once the vessels were at close quarters, the captain of the Ady Gil "failed to respond by taking appropriate evasive action – choosing instead to maintain his course and speed, which allowed the close quarters situation to develop into a collision risk", Taylor said.

And that's the evidence of "authorities" not doing a damn thing. They're afraid of Japan. The crew of the Ady Gil was resting on the outside of the ship - it wasn't a matter of maintaing their course and speed. They were just sitting there. The video doesn't lie. The video taken from the Ady Gil shows this quite clearly.

 

[Checkmite]

I'll be happy if this loser gets thrown in jail - the longer the happier.

I'm glad he's at least apparently decided to shift his fleet to these smaller boats; his using that bigger ship to ram whalers and tuna fishermen was a serious threat to life and limb and the maniac clearly doesn't belong behind the wheel of any vessel.

 

[Marduk]

Enlighten me.
What is causing people to have such a low opinion of this man?

despite wether you're pro whaling or against it, Paul Watson is apparently a horrible person, thats why people have a low opinion of him, people didn't have such a low opinion before his antics were televised. He's a media whore who faked being shot to boost ratings for a season finale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Watson#Anti-whaling_activities_and_alleged_shooting

 

[Macgyver1968]

So..Noah...how does Sea Shepherd justify acts like this?