Sea Shepherd vessels leave Australia on mission to obstruct whalers

Thursday 02nd December, 07:32 AM JST

HOBART —

Vessels of the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Conservation Society left port in the Tasmanian city of Hobart on Thursday to protest and disrupt Japanese whaling in Antarctic waters as the new hunting season begins. Sea Shepherd’s three-vessel fleet includes the new interceptor vessel ‘‘Gojira,’’ a fast-speed, 35-meter vessel that replaces the trimaran Ady Gill, which was damaged beyond repair in January in a collision with by a vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet.

It joins the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker in this season’s campaign, called Operation No Compromise.

Sea Shepherd’s captain, Paul Watson, told Australian media that the campaign this time includes the largest crew to be sent to the waters off Antarctica, commonly known as the Southern Ocean.

The Japanese whaling fleet has not yet embarked, but it is expected to in coming days.