The members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society pulled off another acid attack on Japanese whaling boats.
Japanese whalers detain protesters Giles Lane (2nd-L) and Benjamin Pots (2nd-R) after they boarded the Yushin Maru whaling boat in the Southern Ocean, January 15. The militant anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conversation Society vowed Friday to immediately resume harassing Japanese whalers as two of its activists were returned to their protest ship after being detained on board a harpoon vessel. (AFP/SSCS/HO)
Global Incident Map and The Herald Sun reported:
A JAPANESE whaling group has accused the Sea Shepherd activist group of attacking a second ship in the Southern Ocean.
The Japanese Whaling Association (JWA) said the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society launched a small zodiac boat which attacked Yushin Maru No. 3 – the sister vessel of the Yushin Maru No. 2 – overnight.
It also accused the Australia of giving “limousine service” to Sea Shepherd activists Benjamin Potts and Giles Lane, who were detained on the Yushin Maru No. 2 before being handed over to the Australian customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking, yesterday.
“At 2am 18th of January, SS (Sea Shepherd) zodiac boat sneaked up during the dark night and attacked her sister ship, Yushin Maru No. 3, one of the Antarctic research expedition vessels owned by the Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, by throwing 10 butyric acid bottles,” the JWA said .
Japanese Government-backed company Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha president Kazuo Yamamura said the attack on the Yushin Maru No. 3 was akin to terrorism.
“We have handed two illegal intruders safely to Australian authorities despite that SS has been unlawfully attacking our vessels,” he said.
“Nevertheless, SS attacked our vessel again during the night.
“Such action should be condemned as an inhumane terrorist attack.