Radio exchanges between the Danish industrial fishing fleet, fisheries protection vessel HMS Shetland and Greenpeace vessel M.V. Sirius.
|
Radio exchanges between the Danish industrial fishing fleet, fisheries protection vessel HMS Shetland and Greenpeace vessel M.V. Sirius. |
Download the
Real Audio player to listen to these sound files or read the transcripts below.
Friday 28th June.
8.55 hrs
'This is Perville Kim for Sirius. If you wanna save your ship . We will sink it now and all our collegues are coming. If you wanna save your ship and your crew and all the members on your ship you are requested to cancel your mission immedeately. Then we let your ship and the people go. This time we've got you. OK you have been warned.'
Then the vessels Perville Kim and Jannie started the chase, the crew ready on the fore deck with grappling hooks etc..
9.55 hrs
HMS Shetland for vessel Jannie 'You're now inside British territorial limits. Your current actions are prejudicial to good order and peace woithin British territorial seas. Therefore we ask you to call off your present pursuit of the vessels in front of you.'
Jannie: 'OK we stop.'
10.00 hrs The chase is off, but the whole fishing fleet has stopped fishing and is now coming our direction...
Sunday 30th June
8.15 hrs
Shetland: In view of the actions which occurred on friday afternoon I strongly advise you to resist from any repetition of your harassment for the safety of all parties concerned. I'm instructing you to remain 2 miles clear of the fishing vessels that are currently engaged in legal fishing on the Wee Bankie. do you understand sir?
Can I assume that you comply with that instruction, sir?
John: Not necessarily I'm afraid, because we have to continue with our campaign trying to prevent this damaging fishery on the Wee Bankie. So we feel we have to continue with our actions. But as normal they'll remain non violent direct action.
Shetland: I consider the action you've taken so far is provocative and it is likely that the safety of personel in your ships and in the fishing vessels is endangered and on that basis I'm instructing you not to repeat any of your actions of last week.
John:I understand that that's your view......
Shetland:......
Debate on the legal side of it, EC laws, local fishing communities being threatened by foreign fishing vessels......
Several vessels are trying to get their gear out, The Shetalnd stays very close-by. Hooley is interfering, lots of fireworks are fired. Pernille Kim (them again) turns up and also doesn't succeed to set their nets and start chasing the Sirius. Untill the 12 mile limit, followed by the Shetland. Later 8 Danish vessels start coming for the inflatables also heading direction Sirius. This lastest for over an hour. We kept 9 vessels from fishing for several hours. The Sirius stays within the 12 mile border till later in the afternoon.
12.00 hrs
Shetland calls for Danish fishing vessel 'Long forties':
Long Forties: Are you just watching?
Shetland: My job is to insure that as far as possible the fishing that you do is legal and that you are allowed to continue to fish. I have asked the Sirius to desist, he is chosing to ignore that. At this stage I'm monitoring very carefully the actions of all parties concerned. That you do not make the situation worse by any form of retaliation.
Long Forties: I understand perfectly. Your job is to watch. We are not letting them go away. If they are coming outside the 12 mile border again. I don't know what is happening, I can't tell you. You're welcome to watch it if that's the only job you've got. We can't just sit there. You've got two crew members on that Danish vessel which was attacked. They were not doing anything. I don't know if you understand our situation, it's our fucking job to be here. It's only our job. We are not allowed to do our job. It is pushed to the limit now, far behind the limit. We cannot give garantee was is happening if he is coming outside the 12 mile border again.
Shetland:That is understood.
15.00 hrs. Sirius is back on the Wee Bankie.
ALL THE FISHING VESSELS ARE GONE!!!!
There is nobody left. Only HMS Shetland is still sailing around. The German Press Agency (a special news service mainly listening to foreign news) picked up news from radio Copenhagen stating that the Danish fishermen filed a complaint against the HMS Shetland for not protecting their legal rights to fish. Since they were not protected they would leave the area.