Sea Sheaperd

[Razgovory]

I'm torn here.  I hate whales.  The fuckers creep me out.  But then the Japanese creep me out.  Sinking Spanish and Scandi ships seems pretty cool.

[Razgovory]

Hmmm.  My conclusion:  Sinking Spanish and Norwegian ships is bad.  Sinking Japanese and Icelandic vessels is good.

[The Brain]

What's the problem with whaling? As long as the species aren't threatened with extinction what's the big deal?

[KRonn]

What's the problem with whaling? As long as the species aren't threatened with extinction what's the big deal?

Agreed there. I don't like whaling, would like to say leave the whales alone, but we go after all sorts of sea life for food and products. And if there's a use and market for it, and no harm to whale numbers, then why not harvest/hunt them?

[Martim Silva]

Here's video of it.  You'd think with such a high tech ship they would get someone who could drive it.  Sea Shepwnd. 

This issue intrigued me, so I checked it a litte bit more.

Turns out this ship was, in fact, a VERY high-tech alternative fuel power boat called the "Earthrace". It broke the world-crossing record by a biodiesel ship in 2008, going from one end to the other in just 61 days.

It was fairly badass, in a James Bond-esque style. Not only it was a fast ship, but it could also dive up to seven meters deep, had no carbon emissions and a full fuel tank could propel it through half the planet with no resupply needed.

It has a site:

http://www.earthrace.net/

Then I noticed the ship had an SGC logo, which is from a Portuguese company. I contacted them, and it turns out they sponsored the ship that year and gave it its organic fuel.

Through them I could reach the ships' Chief Engineer, who was born in Guyana but is of portuguese descent.

He toild me they lost it this morning 200 miles north of the Antarctic ice self (I got the exact location), but there are some interesting extra facts he told me:

1. After the records, the "Earthrace" was pretty much done as a ship, and had no practical purpose anymore.

2. The "Earthrace/Ady Gil" captain, Pete Bethune, was actually the previous owner of the ship. The millionaire was just an intermediate betweem him and the Sheperds. And the deal with the organization noted that he should remain at the helm of the ship.

3. The Sea Sheperds' fully intended to use it as a "blocking" ship, to use it to intercept the course of the Japanese ships;

4. The "Earthrace", now known as the "Ady Gil", had a MAJOR overhaul for this operation. They made it even MORE of a badass, namely by:

a) Adding extra 4 tons of kevlar to its 11 ton hull, to make it impervious to eventual harpoons;

b) Covering it with a layer that made it invisible to radar, in order not to show up on the whalers' scanners.

The ship was INTENDED to take serious risks and probably get a pounding.

There was some publicity to this, and the Japanese knew well its "risk-taking" intentions.

5. The ship that rammed it is not a whaling ship. The last ship on a japanese whaling convoy is always a "security ship", and the vessel that rammed the "Earthrace/Ady Gil" was that one.

Given their previous knowlege of the Sea Sheperds' intentions, it is very likely this japanese ship was specifically trained to ram it as soon as they got a visual of it (they could not know where it was otherwise).

6. This event is giving the ship and his captain free publicity; They expect to attract investors' attentions and get funding for a better vessel (and one that will not go to the Sheperds).

Overall, it seemed to me more and more that they went in deliberately expecting to get hit heavy (which would be quite probable, as the Japanese see the Sea Sheperds' as criminals and take everything so serious as to see it all as a life and death struggle) and get free publicity from it, allowing them to get a new ship in exchange for the old.

[KRonn]

Interesting info Martim, and interesting that you could call someone about it. Good stuff.        And it seems to me that the publicity they'll get goes both ways. I'm kind of appalled that these anti whaling guys are attacking and sinking ships, threatening lives and property. Basically terrorism, piracy and what ever else. Not that I like whaling but it is a legal industry.

[DisturbedPervert]

What's the problem with whaling? As long as the species aren't threatened with extinction what's the big deal?

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28315

[garbon]

Interesting info Martim, and interesting that you could call someone about it. Good stuff. 

Interesting is one word for it.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Its really strange the Japanese still keep up whaling to such a degree they do. It seems almost as if its a national pride thing; since they're under such pressure from the hippies they have to keep doing it or else the hippies will say they've won.

Why wouldn't they?  Is there any reason not to continue whaling?

Economics.
A lot of what I've seen says whale meat is in pretty low demand in Japan, a surplus is caught which keeps prices really low. It would seem to me to be most sensible to catch a less whales and sell these for higher prices rather than expending a lot of fuel and man hours catching more than what is needed.

Do you also think that it would be a good idea to grow less wheat in an effort to drive bread prices up?

bread prices go up regardless of what happens

[Josquius]

It was fairly badass, in a James Bond-esque style. Not only it was a fast ship, but it could also dive up to seven meters deep, had no carbon emissions and a full fuel tank could propel it through half the planet with no resupply needed.

That is cool...
OK,  I'm now squarely against the Japanese.

That's quite a sweeping exageration. Got some numbers for that? Any particular waters? Time frame?

You're kidding right?
It was a pretty major poltiical issue back in the 80s/90s. It still continues these days though at a far lesser level given the British fishing industry being nigh-on dead and our fish stocks having collapsed.
After Gibralter its the biggest sticking point in British-Spanish relations. Look up the Factortame case.

[Jaron]

Why would you be against the Japanese because of that?

[Neil]

Why would you be against the Japanese because of that?

Hippie retardation.

[grumbler]

The boat project had zero net carbon emissions; the boat did not have zero carbon emissions.

Ironically, while it set the record for a powered circumnavigation of the earth by a motorized boat, its record was far (more than 10 days) shy of the even more eco-friendly sailing ship, the Orange II and almost a day longer than the (submerged) circumnavigation by the USS Triton. 

[Jaron]

The boat project had zero net carbon emissions; the boat did not have zero carbon emissions.

Ironically, while it set the record for a powered circumnavigation of the earth by a motorized boat, its record was far (more than 10 days) shy of the even more eco-friendly sailing ship, the Orange II and almost a day longer than the (submerged) circumnavigation by the USS Triton. 

[garbon]

Thank you for your contribution.