Anti-whaling ship seized off Iceland, group says
An anti-whaling vessel was seized at sea by the Icelandic Coast Guard while monitoring a whale hunt off Iceland, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation said Friday.
The foundation said its vessel, the Bandero, was boarded overnight after weeks of monitoring and pursuing Hvalur 9, one of the last two active commercial whaling vessels operating in Iceland.
Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported that the coast guard boarded the Bandero after Hvalur 9 requested assistance and said it felt threatened. RUV said the Bandero allegedly failed to obey orders to leave Icelandic waters or shut down its engines, prompting the seizure and the arrest of its captain.
The Icelandic Coast Guard did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
Iceland lifted a two-year suspension on whaling this summer. It is one of three countries, along with Norway and Japan, that still permit commercial whaling. The hunt runs from mid-June to mid-September.
Iceland is due to introduce a bill this autumn aimed at banning whaling. The Captain Paul Watson Foundation said around 32 whales have been harpooned so far this season, significantly fewer than in previous seasons.
Uncertainty notes
The Icelandic Coast Guard had not immediately commented in the supplied material.
The exact location of the seizure, the legal basis for the action and the captain's identity are not provided.
The claim that Hvalur 9 felt threatened is attributed to RUV's account of the whaling vessel's request for assistance.
Source
AFP news report published on .