Japanese whalers ram protesters' boats off Antarctica
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 21, 2013
Anti-whaling activist group Sea Shepherd said a Japanese whaling vessel had rammed two of its boats on Wednesday in Australian waters near Antarctica.
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Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru, left, collides with the fuel tanker Sun Laurel in waters near Antarctica. [Tim Watters/AP] |
He said the Japanese ship also accidentally hit the tanker.
He added that the incident, near the Australian Davis Research Base on the Antarctic coast, was particularly dangerous because the tanker was involved.
Jeff Hansen, spokesman for Sea Shepherd, said the conflict is escalating, but no injuries have been reported.
Australia Environment Minister Tony Burke said he is trying to confirm the reports. "Let's wait until I can get those reports confirmed, but I won't be going quiet once I get the information," he said.
Japan's Fisheries Agency blamed the Sea Shepherd boats, saying they had hit the Nisshin Maru at least four times during refuelling despite verbal warnings.
The Nisshin Maru's bow was dented and a handrail was damaged, the agency said in a statement.
Sea Shepherd boats and the Japanese whaling fleet have had past clashes and collisions.
Japan says it hunts whales for scientific purposes, an allowed exception to an international whaling ban, though anti-whaling activists say the hunts are a cover for commercial whaling.
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