A Japanese whaling ship and an anti-whaling protest boat collided off the coast of Antarctica on Sunday, with both sides blaming each other for the crash.
The Sea Shepherd, which tries to harass the Japanese whaling fleet into turning back to shore each year, said the whaling vessels spent hours dragging steel cables across the bows of the Sea Shepherd's ships in an attempt to damage their fleet, The Associated Press reported. Soon after, Japan's Yushin Maru No. 3 struck the Bob Barker, one of Sea Shepherd's fleet named after the former "The Price is Right" game show host. Barker, 90, is a prominent animal rights activist.
Peter Hammarstedt said that damage was done to the Bob Barker's bow and anchor, in an interview with the AP. "It was an unprovoked attack and they did so ruthlessly."
However, Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research blames Sea Shepherd. In a statement, the whale hunt sponsors said that protesters from the Bob Barker dropped ropes in front of the Yushin Maru, which tangled in the ship's propeller. The Bob Barker then collided with the stern of Yushin Maru No. 3, damaging the ship's hull and railing, the institute said.
"Our research whaling is a legitimate activity allowed under the international treaty. Sea Shepherd's violent sabotage against it, which is threatening the lives of the Japanese crew members and causing damage to our ships and equipment, cannot be tolerated," Japan's Fisheries Agency said in a statement.
Japan's top government spokesman said that Japan has urged the Netherlands, home to the protesters' ships, to take "effective" measures to prevent recurrence.
Japan is allowed to hunt whales for scientific research under an exception to a 1986 ban on whaling. The AP reports they plan to kill about 1,000 whales this year.
Australia, who last year petitioned the United Nations to outlaw Japan's annual whale hunt, ordered an investigation into the collision on Monday.
No one was reported injured in the crash.