page_title: MY Steve Irwin
section_title: 2008
hierarchical_section_title: MY Steve Irwin / Career / 2008
caption_attribution_description: English: MY Steve Irwin-Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - Bow view
context_page_description: The MY Steve Irwin was the 59-metre flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and was used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and against illegal fisheries activities. The vessel was built in 1975 and formerly served as a Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, the FPV Westra, for 28 years.
  Sea Shepherd had originally christened the vessel the MY Robert Hunter after Canadian Robert Hunter, co-founder of Greenpeace, but it was renamed in honor of The Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin on December 5, 2007. Irwin had considered joining the vessel on a voyage to Antarctica shortly before his death, and the renaming was endorsed by his widow Terri.
  The ship and her crew, and their efforts for conservation, were the subject of the Animal Planet show Whale Wars.
context_section_description: On January 15, 2008, after throwing packages of butyric acid onto the decks and attempting to entangle a hunting ship's propeller, two Sea Shepherd members boarded the Japanese whaling vessel Yūshin Maru No. 2. Paul Watson stated that it was his intention to create an international incident through the boarding and expected detainment. They later stated that their intent had been to present a protest note to its captain. Benjamin Potts, a 28-year-old cook from Sydney, Australia, and Giles Lane, a 35-year-old engineer from Leeds, United Kingdom, were detained by crew of Yūshin Maru No. 2.
  Sea Shepherd claimed that the two had been kidnapped and tied to the radar mast for several hours with ropes and zip ties. Potts and Lane, however, later stated that they were tied for only fifteen minutes to the side of the ship and a couple of minutes to the radio mast before being taken below deck. Glenn Inwood, a spokesperson for the whalers from the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), said that the activists were being held in an unlocked office, but were being guarded. In another statement, they stated that the action of boarding their vehicle was illegal and that the men were being held pending decisions on their future.
  On January 16 the ICR issued a statement claiming that the protesters had thrown canisters of acid on board the ship and attempted to damage property. They also denied claims that the men had been assaulted and tied to the ship's mast. Hideki Moronuki further stated that "The ICR (Institute of Cetacean Research) is ready to release the two Conservationists provided that full security can be secured for our research vessel. Sea Shepherd is a very violent organisation." In a letter faxed to Steve Irwin, the ICR stated that part of the handover conditions include that Sea Shepherd "must not take any violent action or video/photo shooting activities against us." The acid in question was, according to Sea Shepherd, butyric acid, which was used not to damage the ship itself but to render the work-deck unusable due to its foul and long-lasting smell.
  On January 17, the Australian customs ship MV Oceanic Viking started preparation to transfer the two men held on the whaling vessel. On the morning of January 18, the two men were safely transferred to the MV Oceanic Viking. After an investigation by the Australian Federal Police, no criminal action was taken against the conservationists.
  Both sides accused the other of terrorism during the incident. The ICR called the butyric acid attack on Yūshin Maru No. 2 an "inhumane terrorist attack" and called on the Australian Government to seize the Steve Irwin. Conversely, Steve Irwin 1st Officer Peter Brown stated that "the Institute of Cetacean Research is acting like a terrorist organisation [...] Here they are taking hostages and making demands. Our policy is that we don't respond to terrorist demands."
  Following the March 3 clashes between Sea Shepherd members aboard Steve Irwin and Japanese whalers, the Dutch government announced that it was investigating the incident as the vessel sails under the Dutch flag.
caption: Steve Irwin in London Docklands, UK 2011
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