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The MY Esperanza in the Southern Ocean. The Greenpeace vessel was on its way to offer assistance to the Japanese Whaling fleet's factory ship Nisshin Mauru after it caught fire. Greenpeace offered to tow the factory ship out of the Whale Sanctuary and the pristine Antarctic Environment. Enlarge Image

Japan, whaling and the Esperanza

It is cherry blossom season in Japan, and Tokyo is beautiful, with lovely spring weather and trees in full bloom. Unfortunately while people here enjoy the season, our ship the Esperanza is at sea in force 8 conditions as organisations within Japan attempt to deny her entry into port.

UPATE: After nearly a week of intensive lobbying and paperwork, Greenpeace Japan has managed to get the Esperanza into Tokyo Bay. Press release | crew blog

The whalers factory ship, Nisshin Maru, arrives in Tokyo. Enlarge Image

Whalers' factory ship arrives in Tokyo

The Nisshin Maru arrived in Tokyo Bay today. Its time in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was cut short by a tragic fire, which claimed the life of one crewmember and threatened the Antarctic environment. Over the course of this past season 505 minke and three endangered fin whales were killed.

Recently the an International Whaling Commission (IWC) review of Japan's so called whaling programme showed that their "research" has learned virtually nothing about whale populations in the Southern Oceans despite 18 years of hunting.

The Greenpeace ships MY Esperanza and MY Arctic Sunrise in Capetown on the day of the launch of Defending Our Oceans. Enlarge Image

Defending Our Oceans: The Year that Was

The Esperanza has departed Sydney. This marks the end of the Defending Our Oceans expedition - 477 days, 12 legs, thousands of miles and tens of thousands of Ocean Defenders later. In possibly the longest web article ever, we look back at the highlights of the year (well, 15 months to be exact), and thank all our Ocean Defenders for their unending dedication and support (and sense of humour) over what has been an amazing voyage.

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza sails into Sydney Harbour from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. After 42 days at sea, part of which was spent assisting the fire-disabled whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru and then escorting the entire whaling fleet out of Antarctic waters, the Esperanza will spend only 48 hours in Sydney and then sail directly to Japan, to call for the Nisshin Maru to be decommissioned before the next whaling season begins. Enlarge Image

Welcome to Sydney, Esperanza!

After sailing around the planet, and 42 days in the Southern Ocean, the Esperanza and her crew of 38 tied up alongside in Sydney, Australia. It may be the end of the Defending Our Oceans expedition but her work is not yet done: the Esperanza will head to Tokyo to continue our anti-whaling campaign.

Activists mark Baltic cod products at an ICA store with "STOLEN FISH" stickers. Enlarge Image

Victory! Sweden (mostly) free from Baltic cod

7 March 2007 - Last year, Greenpeace activists and Ocean Defenders took to the supermarkets across Scandinavia to convince them to get out of Baltic cod, a stock that is severely overfished and at least a third of which is illegally caught. Finally the last domino has fallen: Swedish supermarkets are now free from frozen Baltic cod.

200 miles South West Guinea Bissau. Chinese fishing boats Lian Run 24 and Lian Run 29 illegally transshipping frozen fish boxes onto Binar 4 Panama reefer. Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation are working in partnership to expose the scandal of pirate fishing, as part of the year - long Greenpeace Defending Our Oceans expedition to highlight a range of threats to the oceans. Enlarge Image

Pirate fishing blacklist

Today we launched the world's first global online database of blacklisted, Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing vessels. This database will help regulators, port officials, fish buyers, coastal communities and others keep track of pirate fishing vessels. It also exposes how shamefully little official bodies have done to curb pirate fishing on a global scale.

The Greenpeace ship Esperanza arrives in Auckland Harbour. Enlarge Image

Esperanza heads to Sydney

The Esperanza has shadowed the Japanese whaling fleet, including the crippled mothership Nisshin Maru, out of the Southern Ocean. Most of the crew are quite relieved to be approaching Sydney considering the terrible weather the last few days. But even as the voyage comes to an end, our work is far from over...

Campaigners Sakyo Noda and Melanie Duchin radio the Japanese government whaling fleet. The message relayed from the Esperanza was: "For the sake of the environment, the whales and your crew - never again!" Enlarge Image

Whaling season over

Today the whaling fleet crossed the 60 degree latitude, leaving the whaling grounds behind - at least for this season. Officials in Tokyo have finally acknowledged publicly that the deadly fire crippling the fleet's factory ship means an early end to their hunt.

Greenpeace Japan spokesperson Junichi Sato discusses vote buying outside the "Normalization" meeting for the IWC, organised by the Japanese government. Enlarge Image

Big in Japan: how the whaling debate is changing

If the news in Japan is any indication, recent events in the Southern Ocean seem to be having some effect on a debate that has so far been stifled by the one-sided opinion of the whaling fleet operators, the Japanese government-funded Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) and its dubious public relations spin.

The disabled Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru with a re-fuelling vessel and hunter vessel tied alongside. Fire broke out on the Nisshin Maru on Thursday and one man is still missing. The Greenpeace ship Esperanza is close by, and has repeated the offer to assist the whaling fleet including possibly towing her out of the Southern Ocean. Enlarge Image

Whaling Fleet leaving Southern Ocean

24 February - The Japanese Government whaling fleet is finally leaving the Southern Ocean, according to their expedition leader. The Nisshin Maru, disabled for nine days by fire, is moving under her own power. We hope this is the last time the fleet threatens both the whales and the pristine Antarctic environment.

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