Whalers claim NZ harassment

INSTITUTE OF CETACEAN RESEARCH

WATERFIGHT: Activists on the Ady Gil formerly known as Earthrace aim a laser at Japanese whaler Shonan Maru No 2.

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Japanese whalers claim they have come under "attack" from lasers and a projectile launching device by anti-whaling protesters in Antarctic waters.

They are calling for New Zealand authorities to stop the anti-whaling protest trimaran Ady Gil harassing them.

The Ady Gil, now registered in New Zealand, holds the world record for global circumnavigation in a motorised boat.

Under its previous name of Earthrace, it circumnavigated the globe in 60 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes in 2008.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has commissioned Adi Gil to operate in Antarctic waters under a New Zealand flag, alongside the Dutch-registered protest vessel Steve Irwin.

It has a crew of five and is capable of 90kmh speeds in Antarctic waters. During the current Japanese whaling season, the society is hoping Ady Gil's speed will let it physically block Japanese harpoons from slaughtering whales.

Crew from the Japanese "research" whaler Shonan Maru No 2 said they had been subjected to three hours of harassment by Ady Gil in Antarctic waters yesterday.

A statement issued by the Japanese whalers read: "The activists onboard the Ady Gil repeatedly irradiated a green laser device aiming at the Shonan Maru No 2 crew. They fired ball-like objects with a projectile launching device.

"Neither injuries to the Japanese crew nor damage to the Shonan Maru No. 2 resulted from the Ady Gil attack."

The Japanese-controlled Institute of Cetacean Research urged the New Zealand and Dutch governments to take appropriate measures against their protest ships.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said crew members on the Shonan Maru No 2 fired water cannons at the Ady Gil during the encounter. Its crew used photonic (laser beam) disrupters in an effort to get the Shonan Maru No 2 to back off to a safe distance.

There are four New Zealanders and one Dutch citizen on Ady Gil.

- © Fairfax NZ News