Whalers found

While our ships were relaying their message, two 'catcher ships' arrived on the scene with dead minke whales hung from their hulls, ready to be transferred to the fleet's factory ship, the Nisshin Maru.

However, the Esperanza was blocking access to the Nisshin Maru's stern ramp and one 'catcher' tried to push the Esperanza out of the way twice. The Esperanza pulled back for the crew's safety and no casualties are reported.

Update, January 1st:  It's the seventh day in a row that we have seen no whales transferred to the Nisshin Maru factory ship. The Esperanza continues the chase and with the speed of the pursuit, it's unlikely that whaling is being undertaken: no kills have been witnessed.  The Nisshin Maru is now out of the killing zone. 

Update, December 29:  The weather has improved but the fog remains. The Esperanza continues to chase the whaling fleet factory ship, the Nisshin Maru. No sign of the spotter or catcher ships but we do know that no whales have been transferred to the factory ship since December 24.

Update, December 28:   It was a good Christmas for the whales of the Southern Ocean: with the Japanese fleet in full flight from the Esperanza, and a force 11 gale raging, the harpoons were silent for three days. Today, thick fog surrounds our ships and the factory ship, but we don't know where the catcher boats have gone.

Update, December 27:   Despite a force 11 gale and winds of 40 knots, the Esperanza has managed to keep the whalers on the run for three days now, and the Artic Sunrise caught up yesterday as well, though has now fallen behind as the whalers set off once more at speed.   "It's a great Christmas present for the minke and fin whales," says Shane Rattenbury, our expedition leader in the Southern Ocean. "Our new ship the Esperanza has been able to keep up with the whaling mother ship, the Nisshin Maru, and has not observed any more whales killed since the 5 we saw  [on 24 December]. We expect when the weather clears they will resume whaling, but we will continue to defend the whales."

Update, December 24: After 40 hours on the run, the Japanese fleet has recognised they're not going to shake us, and have resumed whaling, killing 5 minkes.  We've been unable to launch inflatables due to rough seas, and are awaiting a break in the weather.

Update, December 23:They're on the run!  The fleet decided they'd had enough after we held them to only 8 whale kills yesterday, and did what they've always done: sailed off at speed to get away from us.  But we had a surprise for them.  The newest addition to our fleet, the Esperanza, is the first ship we've owned that can match their power. The ship is doing us proud and staying with them.  The whalers have spent the last 24 hours running from Greenpeace rather than hunting whales.

Update, December 22: Inflatables boats from the Esperanza and the Arctic Sunrise spent 9 hours in the freezing Antarctic whalers today saving whales.

Activists continually ran in front ot the explosive harpoon canon on board the "catcher ships."  They  successfully blocked clear shots with their presence, and by the use of high-powered water canons to spray a thick fan of water,  obscuring the line of sight of the harpoons.  Many whales were thus given a chance to escape.

One chase lasted for nearly two and half hours until eventually the whaler, the Yushin Maru, managed get a clear shot and despatched a deadly grenade-tipped harpoon into a minke whale.

8 minke whales were killed as part of the fleet's plan to take some 935 minke whales and 10 endangered fin whales for their so-called scientific research programme.


Click here to view images from the actions

"This whale hunt is unnecessary, unjustified, and unwanted," said Expedition leader Shane Rattenbury. In a radio call to the whaling vessels, from the bridge of the Arctic Sunrise, Yuko Hirono, of Greenpeace Japan called upon the whalers to stop killing whales "and leave the internationally recognised Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary."

Flying in the face of international protest and repeated calls from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to stop its annual 'scientific' whale hunt, this year FAJ has more than double its planned catch of minke whales to 935 and added 10 endangered fin whales. Over the next 2 years 40 more fin whales will be added to the annual kill along with 50 humpback whales. Fin whales are the second largest creatures on earth, after blue whales.

"No one is fooled by the giant new "RESEARCH" sign which has been painted on the side of the fleet's factory ship, the Nisshin Maru. Once the whales  have been measured and weighed by the 'scientists' the butchers get to work and the whales are cut up and boxed for market," said Rattenbury. "This is all about money and not science."

We are using every available means consistant with our principle of peaceful protest to bring the hunt to an early end and make it the last time the Sanctuary is breached by the whalers.



Greenpeace, the Environmental Investigation Agency and the Humane Society of the US, have been tracking the money behind the whaling fleets. We are currently focusing attention on the US seafood giant Gorton's, the US frozen-seafood market leader. US consumers are familiar with its 'friendly family business' image, but they are not so whale-friendly. Gorton's is owned by Nissui USA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nissui, Japan's second-largest marine products firm, and one third of owner of Kyodo Senpaku, the company that operates the whaling fleet. Greenpeace is calling on Gorton's to use its influence to convince Nissui to bring an end to whaling.

"In a world where international public opinion is ignored and where high-level diplomatic pressure has failed, Greenpeace hopes that consumers can once and for all demonstrate that there is no profit in whaling," said Rattenbury.

Our first contact with the whaling fleet was at 66˚ south and 146˚ east. Thanks to everyone who provided information via our hunt the hunters appeal.

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Statement to Nisshin Maru on first encounter

This is Shane Rattenbury, expedition leader on behalf of the MY Arctic Sunrise and MY Esperanza.

Our two vessels and the crew aboard are here to protest your whaling program, and request that you return to Japan immediately.

The area in which you are hunting has been designated as the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary, designed to help whale populations recover after the devastating commercial whaling of the last century.

The whales in this Sanctuary are protected from commercial whaling.  Your so-called scientific whaling has been repeatedly criticized by the International Whaling Commission, and is nothing more than commercial whaling in disguise.

The massive increase in quota this season simply underlines that this is an attempt to restart commercial whaling.

You also plan to hunt the endangered fin whale.  There is simply no justification for targeting an endangered species.

We respectfully request that you immediately cease your whaling and leave this area.  If you do leave now, we will leave with you.  If you do not leave, we will have no option but to interfere with your whaling program.

Greenpeace is a non-violent organisation.  We will do nothing to harm or endanger your vessels, your equipment or your crew.  We will, however, use all peaceful means at our disposal to prevent you from killing whales.

We wish you safe sailing.

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