Anti-whaling activist boat hulled in Southern Ocean
LONDON. December 29. KAZINFORM A rogue wave has damaged an anti-whaling boat in the Southern Ocean, breaking a hole in its hull; Kazinform refers to BBC.
The Brigitte Bardot was chasing the Japanese whaling fleet and is currently about 1,500 miles southwest of Fremantle, Australia.
The Sea Shepherd flagship, the Steve Irwin, is on its way to help the damaged boat.
It could take about 20 hours to get there, said Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson.
"Right now the safety of my crew on the Brigitte Bardot is our priority and we intend to reach the crew and then do what we can to save our ship," he said.
It would be returned to Australia while another boat continued to chase the whaling fleet, he added.
The ship was chasing the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru in six-metre (20-foot) waves when a swell slammed into its port side.
One of its pontoons has been badly damaged. The crack was reported to be getting wider but Mr Watson said he was confident the vessel would stay afloat until the rescue boat arrived.
The 10-strong multi-national crew on board includes three Britons, three Americans, an Australian, a Canadian, a Belgian and its South African captain Jonathan Miles Renecle; Kazinform cites BBC.
To learn more go to www.bbc.co.uk