Other Greenpeace
Press Releases

Major Escalation in Campaign to Save Whales as Activists Dragged Up Stern Ramp of Japanese Whaling Ship

Two Greenpeace activists in an inflatable boat were dragged half way up the stern ramp of a Japanese whaling ship after they attached their boat to a tow-line being used to transfer a harpooned Minke whale from a catcher ship to the factory ship Nisshin-maru.

The crew on board the Nisshin-maru then used a long handled flensing knife - normally used for sectioning whales - to cut the inflatable boat from the tow rope, sending it shooting back down the stern ramp.

As the Nisshin-maru moved away at high speed in order to resume whaling, six activists (including Japanese activist Yasuhiro Ito) then jumped into sub-zero waters in front of the ship, which did not slow down or divert from its course. No-one was injured.

“For 24 days now out activists have been doing everything they can to force Japan to stop illegal whaling, doing the job that should be done by the governments of the world. Other countries must use the strongest diplomatic means to tell Japan they will not abide them continuing to trample international law,” John Bowler, Greenpeace campaigner onboard the MV Arctic Sunrise said.

Argentina last week joined British, US, Australian and New Zealand governments in calling on Japan to cancel its illegal Antarctic whaling program. This week the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr. Yohei Kono, is touring Europe to discuss Japan-EU economic relations. Greenpeace has called on host governments to voice their opposition to Japan's illegal whaling directly to him. Mr. Kono is in London today and will be in Paris tomorrow.

Japan’s Antarctic whaling programme is in violation of articles 65 and 120 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, (UNCLOS – adopted in 1982) which requires all states to cooperate with the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in the matter of whale protection. Despite repeated annual requests from the IWC to cancel the program Japanese whalers began hunting in the Sanctuary last November and intend to kill 440 Minke whales this year (up from 389 last year).

The two activists inside the inflatable attached to the tow- line were Deb McIntyre (Australia) and David de Jong (Netherlands).The six activists that jumped in front of the Nisshin Maru were Yasuhiro Ito (Japan), Zeger Zel (Netherlands), Frank Kamp (Netherlands) and Deb McIntyre (Australia), Milko Schwartzman (Argentina), and Juame Espina (Spain).