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MY Steve Irwin

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MV Steve Irwin
MV Steve Irwin in August 2007 (as MV Robert Hunter)
History
Namelist error: <br /> list (help)
1975-2005: FPV Westra
2005-2007: MV Robert Hunter
2007— : MV Steve Irwin
Ownerlist error: <br /> list (help)
1975-1999: Secretary of State for Scotland
1999-2005: Scottish Ministers
2005— : Sea Shepherd
Operatorlist error: <br /> list (help)
1975-2003: Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
2005— : Sea Shepherd
Ordered1974
BuilderHall, Russell & Company, Aberdeen, Scotland
Yard number962
In servicelist error: <br /> list (help)
1975-2003
2005—
Out of service2003-2005 (Laid up for disposal)
Homeportlist error: <br /> list (help)
1975-2003: Leith, Scotland
2005— Melbourne, Australia
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
Tonnage885grt
Length59.43m (196 ft)
Beam10.97m (36 ft)
Draught4.26m (14 ft)
Installed powerHeavy Oil
Propulsion2 x British Polar Engines 12 cylinder 2,100 bhp (1,600 kW), driving a variable-pitch propeller.
Speed12.5 knots (23 km/h)-16.5 knots (31 km/h)
Notes[1]

MV Steve Irwin is a 59-meter (195 ft) conservation enforcement ship owned by Sea Shepherd. The vessel was built in 1975 and was a Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency patrol boat for 28 years.

Sea Shepherd had previously christened the vessel the MV Robert Hunter after Canadian Robert Hunter[2] – co founder of the Greenpeace Foundation – but was renamed in honor of the late Crocodile Hunter host Steve Irwin on December 5, 2007.[3]

Registration problems

Like Sea Shepherd's other vessel, the RV Farley Mowat, Steve Irwin has had issues with its registration. In January 2007, the ship was struck from the British Ship Register after a Japanese request.[4]

The ship has been registered in the Netherlands as of October 8, 2007.[citation needed]

Career

MV Steve Irwin in July 2007 (as MV Robert Hunter)

The FPV Westra[1] was laid up ready for disposal in 2003 when Sea Shepherd purchased her and renamed her the Robert Hunter.

In February 2007, the Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat attempted to prevent the Japanese whaling vessel Kaiko Maru from hunting in an action Sea Shepherd called Operation Leviathan. Sea Shepherd members threw bottles of butyric acid onto the decks of the Kaiko Maru and one whaler was injured by broken piece of glass and another received medical treatment for his eye[5]. The Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat obstructed the path of the whaling boat[6], and the Robert Hunter and Kaiko Maru collided with each other. One Japanese offical accused the Sea Shepherd organisation of behaving "like pirates". The Robert Hunter sustained a "3-foot gash in the hull above the waterline" at the stern of the ship.[7] Three days after the collision, fire broke out in the engine room of the Kaiko Maru and killed one crew.[8]

The Steve Irwin has also participated in "Operation Migaloo"[9] (named after Migaloo, the albino humpback whale) that started in November 2007,[10] and after repairs were completed in Launceston and a brief stop over in Melbourne, she was scheduled to depart for the Antarctic on December 1, 2007. Some media have reported that during this operation, Sea Shepherd vowed to ram Japanese vessels involved in the hunting of whales.[11] Sea Shepherd, however, has denied this statement, saying that they are a non-violent organization.[12]

2008

On January 15, 2008, after allegedly attempting to entangle a hunting boat's propeller and throw bottles of malodorous acid onto the decks,[13] two Sea Shepherd members boarded the Japanese whaling vessel Yashin Maru No. 2 without permission, to present a protest note[14] to its captain. Benjamin Potts, a 28-year-old cook from Sydney, Australia, and Giles Lane, a 35-year-old engineer from Great Britain, were detained by crew of the Yashin Maru No. 2. After allegedly being tied to the radar mast for several hours with ropes and zip ties, they were taken to a locked room below deck.[15] Institute of Cetacean Research spokesperson Glenn Inwood said that the activists were being held in an unlocked office, but were being guarded.[16] In another statement, they stated that the action of boarding their vehicle was illegal and that the men were being held pending decisions on their future. [17]

On January 16, the Institute for Cetacean Research issued a statement claiming that the protesters had thrown canisters of acid on board the ship and attempted to damage property. They also denied claims that the men had been assaulted and tied to the ship's mast. Hideki Moronuki further stated that "The ICR (Institute of Cetacean Research) is ready to release the two intruders provided that full security can be secured for our research vessel. Sea Shepherd is a very violent organization." In a letter faxed to the Steve Irwin, the ICR stated that part of the handover conditions include that Sea Shepherd "must not take any violent action or video/photo shooting activities against us."[18] The acid in question was, according to Sea Shepherd, butyric acid, which was used not to damage the ship itself but to render the work-deck unusable due to its foul and long-lasting smell.[19] However, safety data sheets warn of the corrosive properties of the acid, which can burn skin and eyes,[20] and harm aquatic organisms.[21]

On January 17, the Australian customs ship MV Oceanic Viking started preparation to transfer the two men held on the whaling vessel.[22] On the morning of January 18, the two men were safely transferred to the MV Oceanic Viking. [23]. The incident is being investigated by the Australian Federal Police.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b "Fishery Protection Vessel List", Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
  2. ^ Neptune's Navy, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
  3. ^ "Sea Shepherd Renames Its Whale Defending Ship the Steve Irwin". Sea Shepherd. 5 December 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Britain to deregister anti-whaler after Japan pipes up, The Age, January 30, 2007
  5. ^ Update on Sea Shepherd Pursuit of Japanese Whaling Ship, Mother Jones , February 09, 2007
  6. ^ 2007.2.12 Sea Shepherd rammed The Kaiko Maru, Institute of Cetacean Research
  7. ^ Japanese whaler, anti-whaling ship collide, China Economic Net, February 15, 2007
  8. ^ Japanese whale hunt ended early , BBC News, 28 February 2007
  9. ^ Operation Migaloo:Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign 2007-08, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
  10. ^ Sea Shepherd Launches Campaign to Disrupt Japanese Whaling: Operation Migaloo, wildlifeextra.com
  11. ^ Environmentalists vow to ram whaling vessels, news.com.au, November 20, 2007
  12. ^ Sea Shepherd News, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, November 20, 2007
  13. ^ Japan to release whaling activists, IHT/Asahi, January 17, 2008
  14. ^ Read the anti-whaling activists' letter, news.com.au, January 17, 2008
  15. ^ Whale protesters taken hostage, news.com.au, January 15, 2008
  16. ^ Sea Shepherd demands activists' release ABC News, January 16, 2008, accessed January 16, 2008
  17. ^ [1]
  18. ^ Whalers won't release hostages Daily Telegraph, January 17, 2008, accessed January 17, 2008
  19. ^ [2]
  20. ^ "Safety (MSDS) data for butyric acid" (HTML). Safety Officer in Physical Chemistry at Oxford University. 2005-03-03. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  21. ^ "Butyric Acid data sheet". International Labour Organization. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  22. ^ Australian ship Oceanic Viking may end Japanese whaling hostage drama Daily Telegraph, January 17, 2008, accessed January 17, 2008
  23. ^ http://news.theage.com.au/antiwhaling-pair-return-to-sea-shepherd/20080118-1mnk.html Anti-Whaling pair return to Sea Shepherd
  24. ^ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23068974-2,00.html?from=mostpop Canberra casts off whaling activists
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