After a marathon pursuit, Sea Shepherd says it has found and shut down Japan's key whaling factory ship, Nisshin Maru, deep inside Australian Antarctic waters.
The conservation group's long range ship Bob Barker located the Nisshin Maru late last night about 60 nautical miles offshore at Commonwealth Bay, due south of Tasmania.
Two harpoon ships accompanying the Nisshin Maru were said to have been in pursuit of whales when the Bob Barker arrived, but immediately halted their work when the Nisshin Maru steamed away.
"We have kept them running for two months and that has disrupted their operations considerably," the ship's captain, Peter Hammarstedt, said.
"But now with the Bob Barker on their stern slipway, whaling is effectively shut down for 2012."
The Bob Barker's success came after it evaded a tailing Japanese security ship last month by going to refuel in New Zealand.
In a ruse, Sea Shepherd said the Bob Barker would rendezvous with the Steve Irwin at a sub-Antarctic island, drawing away two pursuit ships while the Bob Barker instead headed directly south.
At last report the Nisshin Maru was still running, but the faster Bob Barker was gaining on it steadily.
"This has been a long, tough campaign, with the worst weather and ice conditions that we have experienced in the entire eight seasons we have ventured into the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary," the group's leader, Paul Watson said.
"But despite the temporary loss of our scout ship, the Brigitte Bardot ... we have kept them on the run, taken two of their three harpoon vessels off the hunt for two months, severely crippled their killing capabilities and now once again we have shut them down."
Mr Watson's ship the Steve Irwin was approaching Bass Strait before an expected arrival in Melbourne tomorrow. It was still being tailed by the security ship, Shonan Maru No.2.
No statement has been released by Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, which does not comment on the movements of the fleet.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/sea-shepherd-finds-key-whaling-ship-20120306-1uf1j.html#ixzz1oKz3Z5fQ
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