Ocean Sentry
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society says it could not afford to repair its anti-whaling ship if not for the generosity of Tasmanians. The Steve Irwin will leave Hobart at noon today bound for Queensland, where it will undergo extensive repairs to its hull.
The boat has been docked in Hobart since late February after violent clashes with Japanese whaling vessels in the Southern Ocean.
“She’s still sea-worthy but there were some significant damages from the collision out at sea,” ship manager Benjamin Baldwin said yesterday.
“This repair will be roughly a quarter of our annual budget.”
The fix-up would not be possible if locals had not been so generous, he said.
“We’ve had more support here than any other town that we’ve ever been to. We’ve had people coming down and donating time, food, tools and of course money,” Mr Baldwin, 25, of Melbourne said.
The crew members were celebrating news that their extreme efforts in Antarctic waters had prevented the Japanese whalers from achieving their slaughter target.
The fleet killed 679 minke whales and one fin whale during its five-month campaign, well below its stated goal of up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales.
“It’s the sort of thing we love to hear. It’s the reason why we do it,” Mr Baldwin said.
“It’s good to know it’s because of our actions that these whales aren’t being killed.”
Once the vessel is repaired, the crew hopes to take it to the Galapagos Islands.
“We will go and patrol against illegal poaching and illegal long-lining,” Mr Baldwin said.
Donations of tools and vegan food will be accepted until 11am today.
(From themercury.com.au, by Sally Glaetzer)
