Sea Shepherd Crewmen Released by Japanese Whaler

They were transferred from the whaler to the Australian Customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking early Friday morning in the Southern Ocean about 2,000 miles south of Australia where the Japanese have been hunting whales for "research" purposes.

Lane and Potts leave the Japanese whaling vessel and enter an Australian Coast Guard inflatable for a ride to the Oceanic Viking in the background. (Photo courtesy Institute of Cetacean Research)

Australia sent the customs vessel at the request of the Japanese and with the acceptance of the Sea Shepherd, an international conservation organization that is in the Southern Ocean to interfere with the Japanese whale hunt.

Australian citizen Benjamin Potts, 28, and Giles Lane, 35, of Great Britain intentionally boarded the Japanese whaling ship to deliver a letter to its captain demanding a halt to Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean.

An Australian federal court ruled Tuesday that Japanese whaling in the Australian Whale Sanctuary is illegal and ordered the Japanese to stop killing whales within 200 nautical miles of Australia's Antarctic territory.

Both men reported that although they were roughed up when they first boarded the whaling ship, that they were treated well during their time onboard.

"I am unharmed and ready to continue disrupting the whaling of the Japanese fleet in the Southern Ocean," said Lane. "It was worth the risk and time in order to inform them of their illegal activities and stop them killing whales whilst we were aboard."

"It did not take long before the whalers realized that they made a huge public relations mistake in keeping us on their ship," said Potts. "We made it clear to them that Sea Shepherd was committed to stopping their illegal whaling activities."

"I'm pleased that everything worked out and that no-one was hurt, and also that we were successful in placing the world's attention on the illegal slaughter of whales in a whale sanctuary in the Australian Antarctic Territory," said Potts.

An Australian inflatable carries the two Sea Shepherd crewmen to the vessel Steve Irwin. (Photo courtesy Sea Shepherd)

"To the Japanese people, we have nothing against you as a people," Potts said. "I enjoy Japanese culture, but your barbaric slaughter of intelligent and endangered marine mammals must stop before you drive them to extinction."

"Although we appreciate the concern that people have expressed for our welfare, it is important to remember that this is not about us." said Lane. "It's about stopping this cruel and illegal whale hunt."

"The treatment that we received was trivial in comparison to the suffering that the whales experience at the hands of the Japanese whalers," he said. "They may have been rough with us but at least we were not harpooned, electrocuted and mutilated. This is not about us, it's about the whales."

The Japanese hunt for whales in the Australian Whale Sanctuary has been shut down while the tense standoff over the two men continued.

"All whaling activities have come to a halt," said Captain Paul Watson onboard the Steve Irwin. "No whales have been killed since January 11th. The Japanese whaling fleet has been denied a solid week of whaling activity. Our task now is to make that two weeks and then three weeks."

Giles Lane (Photo courtesy ICR)

The two Sea Shepherd crew members boarded the Yushin Maru No. 2 on Watson's orders to deliver a letter that read, "My name is Giles David Lane. I am a British citizen and an unpaid volunteer on the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Steve Irwin."

"I have come onboard your ship because you have refused to acknowledge communication from our ship pertaining to your illegal activities in the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territorial Economic Exclusion Zone."

"I am not boarding your ship with the intent to commit a crime, to rob you or to inflict injury upon your crew and yourself or damage to your ship. My reason for boarding is to deliver the message that you are in violation of international conservation law and in violation of the laws of Australia. It is my intent to deliver this message and then to request that you allow me to disembark from your vessel without harm or seizure."

The Institute for Cetacean Research, ICR, which manages Japanese whaling operations, said the two men were not harmed during their two days aboard the Yushin Maru.

"The men were treated well, were provided a cabin and privacy. There were invited to eat their meals in the vessel's dining room, but instead chose to take their meals in private. They have been looked after and in no way have they been harmed," said ICR Director General Minoru Morimoto.

Benjamin Potts (Photo courtesy ICR)

In a letter Tuesday to "whom it may concern" aboard the Steve Irwin, the master of the Japanese vessel wrote, "they were treated humanely and provided warm meals. They also took a nice and warm bath as well as good sleep on comfortable beds with white clean sheets. No violent action was given to them."

The Australian government was requested to step in when Watson declined to accept the conditions for transfer of his two crewmembers set by the Japanese master.

In the letter Tuesday, the master requested that the two men be picked up in a Sea Shepherd inflatable boat and that the Steve Irwin stand off at least 10 miles, not fly its helicopter, and not "take any violent action or video/photo shooting activities against us."

"Using hostages to make demands is the hallmark of terrorism and Sea Shepherd has no interest in negotiating with terrorist groups," said Watson on Wednesday. "The hostages must be released unconditionally."

Lane and Potts smile as they come aboard the Steve Irwin (Photo courtesy Sea Shepherd)

Morimoto said the Yushin Maru would now "rejoin the other research vessels" to continue whaling. The Japanese have granted themselves a permit to kill up to 935 minke whales and up to 50 fin whales this season.

Morimoto urged the Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace "not to interfere further in Japan's research program, which is working to improve knowledge of Antarctic whale species and improve development of a commercial whaling regime."

Australia Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said the captain of the Steve Irwin was contacted Wednesday through the Australian Federal Police which is "seeking further information and evaluating the circumstances of the incident."

Watson rejected Japanese accusations that the Sea Shepherd crewmembers acted legally.

"They went on board with a letter of intent," he said. "There's a precedent set for that and it would be a good defense if there's any charges."

Watson said it is the Japanese who are acting illegally. "The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin will continue to pursue illegal Japanese whaling activities for as long as possible," he said.

"Every day that we stop the whalers is a victory," he said. "We will continue to intervene, harass, block, and obstruct the whalers at every opportunity."

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.