Whaling protest boat the Ady Gil has been rammed and severely damaged.
In the last couple of days, an iconic New Zealand boat, the Ady Gil has been rammed and severely damaged in the Southern Ocean. This was the result of a collision with Japanese whaling boat Shonan Maru No. 2. Initial reports stated that the boat had consequently sunk but spokesman Jeff Hansen stated that the vessel had not sunk “but it’s in two pieces and we’re trying to salvage what we can.”
The Ady Gil was formerly known as "Earthrace" and was skippered by Pete Bethune. I personally had the pleasure of looking round the boat in 2009, a magnificent feat of engineering.
The boat was owned by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and used to carry out protests in the Southern Ocean against Japanese vessels and their whaling activity.
Video of the incident:
It is likely that Youtube will remove this video shortly but I will try to keep a current example posted. Email me if you notice the vid isn't working.
Obviously there will be a lot of controversy over the incident but this video gives a pretty clear view of what happened.
Powered by bio diesel and New Zealand based, the Ady Gil is a sad loss for many New Zealanders.
You can read more about the incident here: BBC News
Coastal Concepts extend our condolences to Pete and the crew.
Kia Kaha guys