Sea Shepherd Searches for Two Missing Crewmembers

[Barrett808]

ABOARD THE FARLEY MOWAT, 0230 Hours, February 9th, 2007 (0530 Hours, February 8th, PST) –

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Farley Mowat is missing two crewmembers and one zodiac inflatable boat. The boat was last seen alongside the Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru at 0900 hours (Auckland, NZ time). At that time, a sudden change in the weather brought fog and drizzle into the area.

Both the Farley Mowat and the Robert Hunter have dropped the pursuit of the illegal Japanese whaling fleet to search for the two missing crewmembers, one an Australian citizen and the other is a U.S. citizen. (Sea Shepherd is in Antarctic waters to protect endangered whales from the Japanese fleet which has plans to illegally slaughter over 900 whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary this year – including 935 piked (Minke) whales and 10 fin whales.)

Both crewmembers are wearing wetsuits under their mustang survival suits. They have a GPS and they should also have a vhf radio, although as of this report we have not received any transmissions.

The Farley Mowat and the Robert Hunter have set up a search grid and are being assisted by the Japanese whaling vessel the Nisshin Maru. The Nisshin Maru has called its assistant vessels (a total of 5 whale hunter and spotter ships) to come to the area to help with the search. Sea Shepherd has issued a distress signal and the situation has been reported to various rescue agencies including New Zealand Search and Rescue, Australian Search and Rescue, and the U.S. Coast guard stationed at McMurdo station on Ross Island.

The boat was last seen at 0900 hours (Auckland time) alongside the Nisshin Maru. The vessel was operational at that time. Crew on the ship Robert Hunter lost sight of the zodiac when sudden and unexpected drizzle and fog conditions moved in.

The Sea Shepherd helicopter is unable to be deployed because of weather conditions. The helicopter was forced to land at approximately 0850 hours due to the bad weather.

http://seashepherd.org/news/media_070208_3.html

Sea Shepherd crew missing in Antarctic
Jano Gibson and Andrew Darby
February 9, 2007 - 1:47PM

Japanese whalers are helping search for two Sea Shepherd activists - including an Australian - who went missing in freezing waters in the Antarctic during an anti-whaling operation.

Maritime New Zealand, which has search and rescue jurisdiction in the area, is coordinating the operation to find them.

Ships in the vicinity have been requested to participate in the operation, while the New Zealand Air Force is in the planning stages of launching an air search, but is unlikely to take flight until at least tomorrow morning.

The two activists were last seen in a Zodiac about 7am (Sydney time).

(more)

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/whalers-help--pirate-search/2007/02/09/1170524271777.html

[Drum]

1. The whalers helping to search for Sea Shepherd's people. Hmmm...

makes me wonder. Maybe their profession doesn't automatically make them hideous people.

:eyes:

[John Q. Citizen]

2. Their profession makes them search for other sailors. I know the Sea Shepard

would do the same for them if the situation were reversed.

[LeftyMom]

4. Let's figure out what happened to that zodiac before we get too lovey with the whalers.

[KittyWampus]

10. What? You think maybe the whalers rammed them the way they rammed the whalers?

[flvegan]

11. No. Impossible. The whalers are cowards.

[LeftyMom]

14. Are you capable of distinguishing a zodiac from a factory ship?

The Nissin Maru is fucking huge. Much bigger than the Farley Mowat or the Robert Hunter, to say nothing of the smaller ships they launch.

[zonkers]

23. I care more about whales than I do about a lot of people. I love what these guys are doing.

[Solo_in_MD]

12. Its the First Law of The Sea is the preservation of human life.

This predates all the UN Law of the Sea stuff and goes back to earliest western seafaring traditions

[Drum]

13. And I am glad of it!

There's an element (water, seas) that we still have to respect!

[The Stranger]

27. , , , but then came factory whaling and the extinctions of the seas, violating an even more ancient

law.

[Ian David]

19. I think the crew of the Nisshin Maru have eaten the envioronmentalists. n/t

[LeftyMom]

3. Uh oh.

That does not sound promising.

[Divernan]

5. Water temps there probably 36-39 degrees, which would be warmer than air temps.

Acute hypothermia can hit real fast - 20 to 30 minutes, and wetsuits protect from cold by allowing a thin layer of water between the neoprene suits and the body. The body warms the water up. If these guys were in a Zodiac, not the water, there was no thin layer of water. They had both a GPS and a vhs radio - but made no transmissions. All in all, doesn't sound like they'll be found alive.

Divers in Alaska wear dry suits, not wetsuits to dive in water that temp., because the thickest wet suits, at 7mms, are so bulky they greatly restrict your movements, and they don't keep you that warm. These guys would have been wearing thinner wetsuits or they couldn't have been mobile enough to handle the Zodiac or confront the whalers. My son and I dove in 7 mm wetsuits at Orca Island in the San Juan Islands, just below Vancouver. The water temp was 42 degrees in March. It was beautiful, but I gave up after 15 minutes. He finished the dive and was shivering the rest of the day.

[LeftyMom]

6. Found.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/whale-activists-lost-at-sea/2007/02/09/1170524263403.html

"Two missing Sea Shepherd activists have been found safe in the Antarctic, and hostilities have resumed against the Japanese whaling fleet.

The whalers called a truce to help the hardline anti-whaling group in their search caused when the two aboard a Zodiac inflatable dinghy disappeared suddenly in fog in icy waters south-west of Australia.

Sea Shepherd president Paul Watson told theage.com.au the inflatable's engine broke down, stranding Karl Nielsen, of Perth, Western Australia, and John Gravois of Los Angeles, USA.

"We just kept going out from one point in a circular search until we found them," said Captain Watson, aboard the Sea Shepherd flagship Farley Mowat. "They were standing up and waving and smiling.""

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. Glad to hear it!

Save the whales!

[Vidar]

17. Thanks for the update, LM. Glad they're safe.

[Judi Lynn]

18. Thank you, LeftyMom. Was afraid to hope for these crewmembers.

This is such good news.

[Barrett808]

7. Missing whale activists found in Antarctic

Missing whale activists found in Antarctic
Andrew Darby and Jano Gibson
February 9, 2007 - 2:34PM

Two missing Sea Shepherd activists have been found safe in the Antarctic, and hostilities have resumed against the Japanese whaling fleet.

The whalers called a truce to help the hardline anti-whaling group in their search caused when the two aboard a Zodiac inflatable dinghy disappeared suddenly in fog in icy waters south-west of Australia.

Sea Shepherd president Paul Watson told smh.com.au that the inflatable's engine broke down, stranding Karl Nielsen, of Perth, Western Australia, and John Gravois of Los Angeles, USA.

"We just kept going out from one point in a circular search until we found them," said Captain Watson, aboard the Sea Shepherd flagship Farley Mowat. "They were standing up and waving and smiling."

Captain Watson said he had thanked the Japanese for their assistance, and then told them, "now it's back to business."

He said the other Sea Shepherd vessel, Robert Hunter, was back on the stern of Nisshin Maru.

(more)

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/missing--pirates--found-alive/2007/02/09/1170524271777.html

[judaspriestess]

8. Yes back to business please

and even if the men had died that would have not stopped them from completing their mission. If anything it would have probably given them more strength. I am glad they are safe.

Please stop the slaughter.

[saigon68]

28. Its hard to reason with cultural fanatics

[peacebuzzard]

15. Yes. Thank God they were found.

I was actually holding my breath reading through this thread and praying for the rescuers.

I was really tense. Now I can root for the mission intact again!!!

Save the whales, Sea Shepherd!!

[Eugene]

16. BBC: Japan condemns whaling activists

Last Updated: Friday, 9 February 2007, 06:15 GMT

Japan condemns whaling activists

By Chris Hogg
BBC News, Tokyo

Japan's government has condemned the actions of anti-whaling activists,
after acid was dropped onto the deck of a Japanese whaling ship.

Two activists from the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd went missing
during the clash.

-snip-

The substance was not toxic, but it had a foul smell and the group said
it disrupted the Japanese working on deck, where they were cutting up
the whales they had caught.

-snip-

A spokesman for the Japanese Foreign Ministry told the BBC that he was
outraged that Japan's ships had been attacked in this way.

He pointed out that all the members of the International Whaling Commission
had agreed to try to prevent incidents like this taking place.

-snip-

Full article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6345131.stm

[slackmaster]

21. Fuck the Japanese government

They're assholes.

[LeftyMom]

22. Awww. I was hoping it'd be funny. Lat year they called them "dangerous vegans," now that was funny.

Still, I really think it's funny they're trying to make an international incident out of a stink bomb. That's barely vandalism.

[Coventina]

24. Fuck you, Japan. Join us in the 21st century, then we'll talk.

The practice of whaling is so 19th century.

:puke:

[Barrett808]

20. Sea Shepherd’s Whale Saving Crew are Rescued

ABOARD THE FARLEY MOWAT, 1900 Hours, February 9th, 2007 (2200 Hours, February 8th, 2007, PST) –

Two missing crewmembers from the Farley Mowat were found and safely rescued eight hours after being lost at sea following a confrontation with the illegal Japanese whaling fleet.

The Zodiac inflatable carrying 2nd Officer Karl Neilsen, 29, of Australia, and Engineer John Gravois, 24, of the United States, fell back from the other Sea Shepherd ships after its fiberglass hull cracked and filled with water. The damage was caused when the inflatable struck the steel hull of the whaling vessel Nisshin Maru in heavy seas. The two were quickly lost as heavy fog, snow, and sleet conditions suddenly occurred.

Captain Paul Watson immediately put the Farley Mowat into a search grid and then issued a maritime distress call and was joined by the Sea Shepherd ship Robert Hunter. Because it was an official distress, the Japanese factory vessel was obligated to participate and joined in the search. The search lasted eight hours.

The crewmembers were found by the Farley Mowat; both were unharmed and slightly cold. They were spotted by Farley Mowat Quartermaster Jaime Brown of New Zealand. They were both wearing wetsuits under survival suits. Karl and John were glad to be rescued and were not suffering any ill effects.

Captain Paul Watson called the Nisshin Maru to thank them for their assistance in the search and then said, "We're all back on schedule." At this point, the two Sea Shepherd ships resumed their pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet as conditions continue to worsen, and winds and swells increase.

The two Sea Shepherd ships Farley Mowat and Robert Hunter have been searching for the Japanese whaling fleet for five weeks and finally located them at 0500 Hours (Auckland time) this morning.

Sea Shepherd is in Antarctic waters to protect endangered whales from the Japanese fleet which has plans to illegally slaughter over 900 whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary this year – including 935 piked (Minke) whales and 10 fin whales. The objectives of the Sea Shepherd vessels are to enforce international conservation law against illegal Japanese whaling operations in accordance with the principles established by the United Nations World Charter for Nature.

http://seashepherd.org/news/media_070208_4.html

[Barrett808]

25. Reuters: Lost protesters lasso iceberg after whaler clash

Lost protesters lasso iceberg after whaler clash
By Michael Perry

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Anti-whaling protesters lost in the Southern Ocean on Friday after a clash with a Japanese whaling ship tied their damaged boat to an iceberg for protection from icy winds as they drifted in fog, media reported.

The two men, part of the Sea Shepherd fleet chasing Japanese whalers, fell back from other protest boats when their inflatable cracked its fibreglass hull and began taking on water after colliding with the Japanese whaler.

"The two were quickly lost as heavy fog, snow, and sleet conditions suddenly occurred," the U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said on its Web site (www.seashepherd.org).

One of the men, American John Gravois, told Australian Associated Press (AAP) they had been trying to foul the propeller of the Japanese ship but had gone too close and collided.

He said the pair had quickly fallen behind and become lost, unable to use their radio to contact the Sea Shepherd's flagship, the Farley Mowat.

Gravois said they had lassoed an iceberg to ensure they were protected from the wind and to stop them drifting away, reported AAP. "When they found us it was a feeling of the most extreme relief that you can imagine," Gravois said from the Farley Mowat.

(more)

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2007-02-09T090348Z_01_SYD247780_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-JAPAN-WHALING.XML&WTmodLoc=Oddly+Enough-C1-Headline-5

[Barrett808]

26. Video here:

Sea Shepherd captain on the search for missing protesters
Fri-09-Feb-2007 7:01pm

Two anti-whaling activists were found today after six hours of being lost in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

They were part of a Sea Shepherd protest group, and were trying to sabotage the whaling mission on small, inflatable dinghies.

Claire Silvester spoke to the captain of the Sea Shepherd vessel, Johnny Vasic, about the search.

http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/NewsDisplay/tabid/209/articleID/20741/Default.aspx