Iceland orders 21 anti-whaling activists expelled

Iceland has ordered the expulsion of 21 anti-whaling activists after authorities seized their ship during a confrontation with one of the country's last remaining whaling vessels, police said.

The case concerns crew members aboard the Bandero, a vessel belonging to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation. Icelandic authorities boarded the ship off the country's coast after it obstructed operations by the whaling ship Hvalur 9.

Police spokesman Gunnar Runar Sveinbjornsson said all crew members had been served notice of an expulsion decision and a re-entry ban. Police had accused the activists of suspected violations of international law of the sea and endangering maritime security.

The crew had been confined to the Bandero in Reykjavik port, but police said on Wednesday that they could now leave the ship.

One person aboard the Bandero said the activists had initially intended to ram Hvalur 9 but were too slow, and then launched an inflatable boat to deploy a net that would damage the whaling ship's propellers. That effort also failed.

The Captain Paul Watson Foundation said the 21 crew members included Americans, Brazilians, French and Spanish nationals. A fuller list previously provided by the foundation also included nationals of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Trinidad and Tobago. Paul Watson was not on board.

The foundation said the Bandero had been in international waters when it was boarded. It said the crew's detention was excessive and denounced the seizure of their phones.

Iceland is one of the few countries, along with Norway and Japan, that still allow commercial whaling. The Icelandic government plans to introduce a bill this autumn aimed at banning the practice.