Exact details of the collision are still confusing. It appears the two Sea Shepherd ships caught the Kaiko Maru chasing a pod of whales near the Balleny Islands in Antarctica, south of New Zealand. Attempts were made by Sea Shepherd activists to disable the propellor of the Kaiko Maru, it appears with some success. Sea Shepherd say on their website "At one point during the confrontation, the Kaiko Maru turned to starboard and struck the Robert Hunter." According to Dr Hiroshi Hatanaka from the ICR on their website "The Robert Hunter rammed the Kaiko Maru."

"Sea Shepherd threw smoke pots onto the Kaiko Maru and released ropes and nets to entangle her screw. Its propeller has been damaged by them. The vessel is stranded at the moment and has already put out several distress calls." said Dr Hiroshi Hatanaka, the Director General of the Institute of Cetacean Research on the ICR website.

After the collision between the Robert Hunter and Kaiko Maru, the Japanese vessel was effectively blockaded against sea ice.

The Japanese vessel issued a maritime distress call saying that it was under attack and in immediate danger. According to the Sea Shepherd website "Sea Shepherd acknowledged this distress signal, but the Japanese vessel refused to say what distress they were in."

More Info: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (Photo: Sea Shepherd)