According to eyewitness Captain Chuck Swift on the Bob Barker, the attack happened while the vessels were dead in the water. The Shonan Maru No. 2 suddenly started up and deliberately rammed the Ady Gil ripping eight feet of the bow of the vessel completely off. According to Captain Swift, the vessel does not look like it will be saved.
%u201CThe Japanese whalers have now escalated this conflict very violently,%u201D said Captain Paul Watson. %u201CIf they think that our remaining two ships will retreat from the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in the face of their extremism, they will be mistaken. We now have a real whale war on our hands now and we have no intention of retreating.%u201D
Captain Paul Watson onboard the Steve Irwin is racing towards the area at 16 knots but still remains some five hundred miles to the north. The Bob Barker has temporarily stopped the pursuit of the Nisshin Maru to rescue the crew of the Ady Gil. The Japanese ships initially refused to acknowledge the May Day distress of the Ady Gil, but ultimately did acknowledge the call. Despite acknowledging the call, they did not offer to assist the Ady Gil or the Bob Barker in any way.
We the undersigned support sea shepard in thier efforts to save all marine life. We are outraged at the news of the Ady Gil being attacked while defending the future of our oceans from selfish, greedy, ignorant people. It is unacceptable for the Japanese whaling ships to not only illegally murder marine life with no consideration for the future of our ecosystem but to also endanger human life. We demand justice for the whales and for the Ady Gil!
