Is one of these the SS-PG third ship?This month has been one where two well known seafarers are in the news. One CAPT. Jacques-Yves Cousteau - le Commandant - of the Cousteau Society, the other CAPT. Paul Watson - 'Wats-his-name' - of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. It might seem strange for NAUTICAL LOG to write of these together but they both actually had/have similar goals, it is their methods that are different.
Le Commandant June11, 1910-June 25, 1997, loved the sea, his all white ship, was passionate, intense, driven and damnably difficult at times. He used education, the lecture circuit, the Media and effective non-violent methods to accomplish his goals.
'Wats-his-name' loves the sea, his all black ship, is passionate, intense, driven and is damnably difficult most of the time. He uses education, the lecture circuit, the Media and ineffective violent methods which do not make his points.
As the RV Calypso is prepared to set sail once again as a museum ship on June 25, 2010 so NAUTICAL LOG learned from their Press Release the SS-PG vessels MS Steve Irwin and MS Bob Barker are being prepared for points south. As we shall see from quotes the usual SS-PG bravado is once again in full evidence for the Southern Ocean Whaling season 2010-2011.
Having voyaged 12,000 nautical miles from Tasmania to the Mediterranean for - well that's the question - even the SS-PG admit nothing was accomplished by the voyage since the various EU navies were on fishery protection patrols and the ICCAT FPV Jean Charcot was fully aware of the overall state of the tuna catch.
From the Press Release comes word that:
"The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is rejecting the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as a corrupt and irrelevant body that has lost all credibility as an organization responsible for the conservation of the world's whales".
As a result of their beliefs the Sea Shepherds will be sending two ships to the Southern Ocean in December 2010. They are the MS Steve Irwin and the MS Bob Barker and in addition they hope to have a third ship (which clearly will not be the Ady Gil) but NAUTICAL LOG suspects will be a vessel rather like the MS Bob Barker. There has been waterfront talk of a vessel being purchased and now under preparation in The Netherlands at a canal berth. It is also clear that on the whaling side the Japanese are going to also be preparing and will fight back hard this season. Last year the MS Shonan Maru 2 was certainly not manned by a whaling crew. The tactics used and their execution showed highly trained military-style personnel. Effective, aggressive, with the physique and discipline, evident in the current "Whale Wars" series, of personnel with security training. One would suspect Japanese Coastguard Special Forces the deployment of whom would not violate the Japanese Self-Defence Treaty. The Japanese Coastguard was created after this Treaty was signed and therefore is not bound by that Treaty.
The SS-PG go on, in sharp contrast to the wimpy Mediterranean statements, quote:
"Ships are expendable; the whales are not. If it takes risking our lives and our freedom to shut down this ruthless and barbaric and illegal slaughter of the whales, then that is what it will take, and we have proven that we are equal to the task".
Well maybe because judging from your behaviour in the Med. and the quote that you cannot face the naval guns all the Australian Government has to do is send out their Navy. At which point you will turn away being unable to face naval guns and the Japanese can get on whaling. Fishery protection by the Australian Navy as in the European Union.
So since 'Operation Waltzing Matilda' and 'Operation Blue Rage' were an unmitigated expensive disaster we now go to 'Operation No Compromise'. It might be that 'Wats-his-name' will be the one having to reach a compromise since there seems to be no cohesive policy or consistent statements within the Sea Shepherds.
Good Watch.
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