The Nisshin Maru whaling factory ship met with the Panamanian-registered supply ship Oriental Bluebird in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica to refuel and transfer frozen whale meat. When they attempted to come alongside Greenpeace attempted to stop the refueling by placing their inflatable boats between the factory ship and the supply ship, hindering the refuelling for a time.
| Remind me what happens to an inflatable boat when it comes between two metal-hulled large ships? Oh right, jelly. |
Eventually the Nisshin Mau and Oriental Bluebird were side by side and able to start the refuelling and transfer of frozen whale meat. While this was ocurring Greenpeace had inflatables circling, and two whaling catcher ships also circled and maneurvered at high speeds with fire hoses aimed at the activists in the Greenpeace inflatables.
| Antarctic-cold sea water piped right to them! |
Greenpeace Japan whales campaigner Sakyo Noda said in a statement radioed to the Oriental Bluebird, in Japanese, Spanish and English: "The Oriental Bluebird must leave Antarctic waters immediately: your presence here is unwanted and a threat to the pristine Antarctic environment which has been declared a particularly sensitive sea area by the International Maritime Organisation and a 'natural reserve, devoted to peace and science' by the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. A refueling operation within the Treaty area would be contrary to the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty. Japan, as a party to the Treaty, must comply with the letter and the spirit of the Treaty and not refuel within the Treaty area and comply with Annex IV on the Prevention of Environmental Pollution". |