Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin comes to obstruct Japanese ships in missing sailor search

This video released by Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) shows the Sea Shepherd vessel coming very close to Japanese research vessel Kyoshin Maru 2 while the latter is looking for a missing crewmember.

Sea Shepherd pretends that it came to help the Japanese ships in their search. Eventhough its assistance was rejected, the Steve Irwin stayed close to the Japanese boats and announced that it "will restart harassing the whaling vessels once the search is over."

Added on January 12th:

Press Release from Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Limited

HEADLINE: Dutch vessel's search offer disingenuous, official information
reveals

9 January 2009

Information obtained from Maritime New Zealand's Search and Rescue centre reveals that the Dutch vessel Steve Irwin never had any intention of assisting in the search for a missing Japanese sailor.

The sailor, Mr Hajime Shirasaki, went missing on Monday 5 January and is presumed to be lost overboard.

The New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre sent the first mayday signal at 1218hrs New Zealand Daylight Time on Monday 5 January. This signal was repeated every half hour until 1515hrs NZDT on Monday 5 January.

The Dutch vessel waited until 0025hrs (12.25am) on Wednesday 7 January to respond to Maritime New Zealand, when it had already located the Japanese fleet. This was 36 hours after the mayday call was first made by Maritime New Zealand.

International Maritime Organization regulations require vessels to provide their current position, advise whether or not they are able to assist, and provide the Search and Rescue agency of an estimated time of arrival at the search site.

"The true intention of the Sea Shepherd crew was to locate the Japanese vessels for the TV cameras, not to locate the missing seaman. This is more theatre directed from New York," said the President of Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd, Mr Kazuo Yamamura, in reference to the Animal Planet film crew on board the Dutch vessel.

"There was nothing genuine about Sea Shepherd's subsequent offer to help and no assistance was received. They did not deploy their boats nor their helicopter. Rather than aiding the search, the Sea Shepherd vessel hindered it by navigating dangerously close to other vessels," Mr Yamamura said. "We told them we didn't need that kind of help."
"Sea Shepherd's offer of help was disingenuous, in the circumstances, and obviously done to show the crew in a good, but false, light," Mr Yamamura said. "They exploited a mayday call for their own publicity."

"In contrast, on 9 February 2007 when the Steve Irwin put out a mayday call for two missing crew, our vessels immediately responded to their distress call, indicated we were in a position to assist and we went in search, which is how a genuine offer of assistance is conveyed," Mr Yamamura said.

For more information, contact: Glenn Inwood, Spokesperson, +64 21 890 868

ENDS

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• whaling
• sea
• shepherd
• japan
• ecoterrorism
• whale
• wars
• research

[racergirlx]

Effing whale killing Japanese! I hate them!

Go Sea Shepherd!

[ceasers2112]

The IWC and the Japanese whaling fleet are a bunch of greedy liars. Just because there are people in this world that have compassion for animals dosent mean that your justified in brutally killing whales. Your "man overboard" was a result of his own stupidity. P.S. ICR IS A JOKE TOO

[122333nic]

Where's the video of SSCS offering the whalers helicopter support in the search for their missing sailor and the Japanese whalers turning it down? You'd think the whalers would be a little more serious about a missing persons search for their own crew member. By the way, where's the obstruction exactly?

[artmutley]

why don't u show the video which the Japanese intentionally ram the ady gil??

i am sure u can get the attention u want with it!

[101Osprey101]

This is pure propaganda.

[RipFlm]

Steve Erwin offered their assistance and they denied, propaganda!

[MrRobinDP]

The japanese are liars!! Paul Watson decided NOT to harras the japanese in their search for the man overboard!!

[ITZCRAZieness]

bad japanese whalers, BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD! Stop killing inocent whales!

like this if you agree!!! Together we can stop them!

[fatalcleric]

There are more profitable things that the Japanese can do with that whaling fleet, that don't involve wiping out an endangered species, its just unfortunate that they dont have the capacity to see the gold mine that there sitting on, with that kind of mind!.

[1giblesp]

Bullshit you stupid liars. You whalers lie about everything. You go around the world like parasites, killing for your profits of evil. History will remember you as a virus, as scum.

One day you will enter the waters of a country with your vileness and get shot. You do not have any armed forces worth mentioning and will lose.

[Pietiman]

Sea Shepherd never obstucted the search for a missing sailor the wanted to help but the Whalers disagreed.

So we see its Sea Shepherd isnt a Crminal Organisation they are just enforcing Austrailian Law.

Go Sea Shepherd !!!

[VivaEcoCultBusiness]

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③

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D : Thanks Mam, I'm very happy and proud being W?i?e！