Whaling fleet and protesters still deadlocked

Two anti-whaling activists were still on board a Japanese ship today as protesters continued to shadow its hunting fleet.

Pressure group 'Sea Shepherd' claimed a victory in its campaign to obstruct the Japanese, forcing them to a standstill while crew attempted to unload the two men who had clambered aboard yesterday.

As a war of words continued between both sides, 'Sea Shepherd' founder Paul Watson said the Japanese were poachers targeting vulnerable whale stocks and that the two activists were “hostages”.

He demanded their immediate release and said his organisation would continue to trail Tokyo’s fleet.

“We will chase them until they stop their hunt,” Watson said by satellite telephone from the bridge of the group’s ship Steve Irwin. “As long as we are chasing them, they aren’t killing whales.”

Japan condemned the incident, accusing Sea Shepherd of piracy and of twisting the facts.

A foreign ministry spokesman said Tokyo had tried repeatedly to contact 'Sea Shepherd' to arrange a hand-over, but the activists were not responding and their boat appeared to be speeding away from the area.

He said a Japanese whaling boat was chasing the 'Steve Irwin' in an attempt to return the protesters.

“These people aren’t hostages – they’re unwanted guests,” the spokesman said. “We want them off our ship immediately, but they’re not giving us the chance.”

Japanese Fisheries Agency official Takahide Naruko said the fleet would not resume its planned hunt of about 1,000 whales until the activists are handed over – saying there was “no telling what the 'Sea Shepherd' would do” if the fleet started hunting with the activists on board.

The two activists, Australian Benjamin Potts, 28, and Briton Giles Lane, 35, jumped from a rubber boat onto the deck of the 'Yushin Maru 2' in waters off Antarctica.

'Sea Shepherd' protesters earlier attacked the Japanese ship with bottles of acid and tried to entangle the ship’s propellers.

Japan sent ships to Antarctica in November to kill minke and fin whales under a research program that avoids an international moratorium on commercial whaling.

The ban allows limited hunts for scientific research, a loophole Japan has used to kill nearly 10,000 whales in the past two decades, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Opponents say Japan’s program is commercial whaling in disguise.

Japan’s top government spokesman defended Tokyo’s catch.

“The activists are obstructing what are legal activities in international waters, and in an extremely dangerous way,” spokesman Nobutaka Machimura said. “Japan strongly condemns these actions.”

Japanese officials have said they want to arrange a rendezvous and 'Sea Shepherd' must agree not to attack its ship in the process.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith called for caution on both sides.

“We’re dealing with the great distance of the Southern Ocean. The capacity for adverse incidents is high, and the capacity for rescue or assistance is low,” he said.