THE INSTITUTE OF CETACEAN RESEARCH
4-5 TOYOMI-CHO, CHUO-KU, TOKYO 104-0055 JAPAN
PHONE: +81-3-3536-6521

FAX: +81-3536-6522

MEDIA RELEASE
6 January 2010

New Zealand watercraft attacks the Nisshin Maru
The research-base vessel Nisshin Maru, currently engaged in the Japanese whale
research program in the Antarctic (JARPA II) was subject to attack today for about twohours by the New Zealand-registered watercraft Ady Gil following a brief encounter
with the Bob Barker*, a vessel sent to the Antarctic by the antiwhaling group Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society. The encounter with the Bob Barker occurred at00:00JST.
In a manner similar to their 23 December attack on the Shonan Maru No. 2, at about
0300JST the Ady Gil came to collision distance directly in front of the Nisshin Marubow repeatedly deploying and towing a rope from its stern with the intent to entangle
the Japanese vessel’s rudder and propeller. Further, the activists onboard the Ady Gil
recurrently shoot a green laser device aiming at the Nisshin Maru crew and fired
butyric acid-containing ball-like projectiles with a launching device. One of theseprojectiles landed in the Nisshin Maru’s deck.
After broadcasting a warning message through a long range acoustic device (LRAD),the Nisshin Maru started its water cannons and proceeded to prevent the Ady Gil
coming closer. Neither injuries to the Japanese crew nor damage to the Nisshin Maru
resulted from the New Zealand watercraft’s attack.
The Sea Shepherd extremism is becoming more violent. Aiming directly to theNisshin Maru crew, the activists have repeatedly fired illegal high-power laser devices
which can produce blindness when irradiated to the naked eye and have fired
projectiles containing butyric acid, a substance highly hazardous to the human body
including skin and eyes. Their actions are nothing but felonious behavior. In addition,
their repeated deploying and abandonment of ropes designed to entangle the propellerof our navigating vessels ultimately ends becoming litter which is spoiling theAntarctic marine environment.
The Institute of Cetacean Research strongly condemns the Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society extremist actions which threaten the safety of Japan’s whaleresearch vessels and their crews. Contrary to its claims to be a marine wildlife
conservation group in reality they are dedicated to fund-rising and to spread violence
under pretext of protecting whales.
Following last December attacks, Australia, the de facto home port country to theSteve Irwin neglected to take appropriate and objective actions when the activist’s
vessel briefly made a port call in Hobart. The Institute of Cetacean Research urges
again all related nations including the Netherlands, the Steve Irwin’s flag state, andNew Zealand, the Ady Gil flag state, to take every means available to prevent the Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society actions and strongly request that they observe theirinternational obligations and deal with the Sea Shepherd in a strict and objectivemanner.
* While the Bob Barker briefly approached to the Nisshin Maru, the Steve Irwin
which left Hobart on December 31 2009 has not appeared in the scene.

Photographs and video of the incidents in the Antarctic can be seen at:
http://www.icrwhale.org/gpandsea.htm

ENDS