Sun Laurel

Last updated
History
NameSamho Amber [1] [2]
BuilderDongbang Incheon [2] (South Korea)
Laid down1 September 2005
Launched4 July 2007
Fate
History
Flag of Vanuatu.svg Vanuatu [1] [3]
NameSun Laurel
OwnerViko Offshore & Marine - Seoul, South Korea [2]
Homeport Port Vila, Vanuatu
Identification
General characteristics
Type oil tanker
Tonnage4,067 gt, 5,735 dwt [1]
Length105.6 m [1]
Beam16.6 m [1]
Draught5.3 m
Speed10.0 knots (maximum) [1]

Sun Laurel is a South Korean-owned oil tanker built in 2008 and currently operating under the flag of Vanuatu. [1] [3]

Contents

The Sun Laurel became notable in 20 February 2013 when it was sent to resupply the Japanese whaling fleet hunting on the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, [4] [5] and was caught up in a conflict between the whalers and vessels of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Back then, it was operating under the flag of Panama.

2013 incident

Some vessels of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were intervening in the Japanese whale-hunt, calling it illegal and in contravention of an Australian Federal Court ruling prohibiting whaling in Australian Antarctic Territory. [5] Japan hunts using a loophole that allows for a very limited lethal scientific research. Camera crews onboard three Sea Shepherd vessels recorded video of the incident for a TV series called Whale Wars .

The Bob Barker and Sam Simon had repeatedly forced their way between the Nisshin Maru whaling factory ship and the supply tanker, causing cheers by the crew onboard the Sun Laurel. [6] [7] The next day, they blocked another refueling attempt, and in retaliation, Captain Tomoyuki Ogawa of Nisshin Maru squeezed the Bob Barker vessel against the Sun Laurel four times, which caused damage to the Sun Laurel's davit of the primary lifeboat and the crane used to launch the secondary life rafts. [6] The Nisshin Maru backed off when they heard a distress call (mayday) by the Bob Barker, as it was taking on water in the engine room. [4]

Some sailors on board Sun Laurel then sent a message to Sea Shepherd vessels stating that they do not like to support the Japanese whaling fleet. [6] Some of the crew on the MY Bob Barker, tossed six Sea Shepherd crew T-shirts to the Sun Laurel crew and cheered when the Filipino crew put them on. [6] A few hours after the incident the Sun Laurel departed without refueling the Japanese fleet, [6] and some media reported that the large Japanese icebreaker Shirase ( MMSI number : 431999533) was sent to protect the whaling fleet. [5] [7] [8] However, according to the National Institute of Polar Research, the icebreaker was in fact far to the west off the coast of Antarctica near the Showa Base, at the time. [9] The planned navigation plan of Shirase for the 54th Arctic expedition (2012-2013) does not describe any detour to the waters of the incident. [10] Shirase departed Showa base on 17 February, heading for Fremantle, Australia. [11] According to the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, on 20 February Shirase was present in the Lützow-Holm Bay; more than 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) away from the location of the incident. [11] [12] The official report of the 54th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition claims that articles by the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Broadcasting Corporation were incorrect because they were based on 'misinformation' from Sea Shepherd. [13] The Japanese consulate-general in Sydney released an official letter clarifying that there were no connection between Japan's Arctic research expeditions and the country's whaling program. [14] The Japanese Government subsequently confirmed that the vessel was not involved in any operation related to the whaling program, [15] and that Sea Shepherd's claims were "completely fake". [16]

In the subsequent hunting seasons, the Sun Laurel has refuelled the Japanese whaling fleet while in the Southern Hemisphere, although the Sea Shepherd organization and Rear Adm Goldrick from Australia [17] argue that it is illegal to bring and transfer a cargo of heavy fuel into the protected waters of Antarctica, especially by a non-ice-classed ship. [5] [4]

Related Research Articles

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society American marine conservation organization

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is a non-profit, marine conservation activism organization based in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington, in the United States. Sea Shepherd employs direct action tactics to achieve its goals, most famously by deploying its fleet of ships to track, report on and actively impede the work of fishing vessels believed to be engaged in illegal and unregulated activities causing the unsustainable exploitation of marine life.

Whaling in Japan Commercial hunting of whales by the Japanese fishing industry

Japanese whaling, in terms of active hunting of whales, is estimated by the Japan Whaling Association to have begun around the 12th century. However, Japanese whaling on an industrial scale began around the 1890s when Japan started to participate in the modern whaling industry, at that time an industry in which many countries participated. Modern Japanese whaling activities have extended far outside Japanese territorial waters, including whale sanctuaries protected by other countries.

Japanese icebreaker <i>Shirase</i> (AGB-5002)

Shirase was a Japanese icebreaker operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and Japan's third icebreaker for Antarctic expeditions. Her successor (AGB-5003) has the same name. She was decommissioned in July 2008, and is expected to revive under the new owner as a facility for observation and exhibition regarding weather and environment.

Neptunes Navy Ships operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

Neptune's Navy is the name that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society uses to refer to the ships it operates. Most of these vessels are used to disrupt or hinder fishing, whaling or sealing operations that the group considers illegal.

MY Ady Gil 24m wave-piercing power trimaran

MY Ady Gil was a 78-foot (24 m), wave-piercing trimaran originally created as part of a project to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. Powered by biodiesel fuel, the vessel was also capable of running on regular diesel fuel. It used other eco-friendly materials such as vegetable oil lubricants, hemp composites, and non-toxic anti-fouling, and had features such as bilge-water filters.

<i>Nisshin Maru</i>

The Nisshin Maru (日新丸) is the primary vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet and is the world's only whaler factory ship. It was the research base ship for the Institute of Cetacean Research for 2002 to 2007. It has a tonnage of 8,145 GT and is the largest member and flagship of the five-ship whaling fleet, headed by leader Shigetoshi Nishiwaki. The ship is based in Japan in Shimonoseki harbor and is owned by Tokyo-based Kyodo Senpaku, which is a subsidiary of the Institute of Cetacean Research.

The 8,725 ton Hiyo Maru (飛鷹丸) was the largest member of the Japanese whaling fleet; providing fuel, resources, and stock storage space for that fleet and its crew. In 1992, it was renamed and re-flagged to Panama as the Oriental Bluebird. According to Greenpeace, after a dispute with the Panamanian Government in 2008, it was de-flagged and re-registered to Japan. The Hiyo Maru served as the fuel tanker for Japan's whaling fleet, and was alleged by Greenpeace to also transport whale meat. In August 2010, the ship was sold to China to be scrapped.

MY <i>Steve Irwin</i>

The MY Steve Irwin was the 59-metre (194 ft) flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and was used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and against illegal fisheries activities. The vessel was built in 1975 and formerly served as a Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, the FPV Westra, for 28 years.

The Yūshin Maru No. 2 is a Japanese-registered whale catcher that undertakes whaling operations in the North Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean. Along with other vessels of the Japanese whaling fleet, she has been featured on American television since 2008, in the documentary-style reality series Whale Wars.

Events from the year 2007 in Antarctica

Nobu Shirase Japanese army officer and explorer

Nobu Shirase was a Japanese army officer and explorer. He led the first Japanese Antarctic Expedition, 1910–12, which reached a southern latitude of 80°5′, and made the first landing on the coast of King Edward VII Land.

<i>Whale Wars</i> Television series

Whale Wars is a weekly American documentary-style reality television series that premiered on November 7, 2008 on the Animal Planet cable channel. The program followed Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, as he and the crew aboard their various vessels attempted to stop the killing of whales by Japanese vessels (whalers) off the coast of Antarctica.

MY <i>Bob Barker</i>

The MY Bob Barker is a ship owned and operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, named after American television game show host and animal rights activist Bob Barker, whose donation of $5 million to the society facilitated the purchase of the ship. She began operating for the group in late 2009 / early 2010 in its campaign against whaling by Japanese fisheries. In October 2010, Sea Shepherd stated that Bob Barker had completed a major refit in Hobart, Tasmania. Hobart is now the ship's honorary home port.

The Shōnan Maru 2 is a Japanese security vessel, operated by the Japanese Fisheries Agency.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society operations Direct action marine conservation operations

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society engages in various demonstrations, campaigns, and tactical operations at sea and elsewhere, including conventional protests and direct actions to protect marine wildlife. Sea Shepherd operations have included interdiction against commercial fishing, shark poaching and finning, seal hunting and whaling. Many of their activities have been called piracy or terrorism by their targets and by the ICRW. Sea Shepherd says that they have taken more than 4,000 volunteers on operations over a period of 30 years.

Japanese icebreaker <i>Shirase</i> (AGB-5003)

Shirase (しらせ) is a Japanese icebreaker operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and is Japan's fourth icebreaker for Antarctic expeditions. She inherited her name from her predecessor.

Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition Japanese Antarctic expedition for scientific research

The Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition refers to a series of Japanese Antarctic expeditions for scientific research.

MY <i>Age of Union</i> Ship

MY Age of Union is a vessel of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society fleet, the ship was previously named after American television producer and writer Sam Simon, who donated the money to purchase the vessel. The ship's identity was kept secret, to be revealed when she met the Japanese whaling fleet in 2012, but was identified when her registration was discovered on the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's list of registered ships.

The IJN Hashidate Maru was a Japanese Standard Merchant 1TL tanker built by Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation for Nippon Kaiyo Gyogyo K. K. It was built at Kobe, Japan and commissioned on 31 October 1944 to support the war effort by transporting oil, and was later refitted as a whaling factory ship.

<i>A Place Further than the Universe</i> Japanese anime television series

A Place Further than the Universe is an anime original television series produced by Madhouse. The series is directed by Atsuko Ishizuka, written by Jukki Hanada and features character designs by Takahiro Yoshimatsu. It aired in Japan between January and March 2018, and was co-produced and distributed internationally by Crunchyroll.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sun Laurel. Vessel description at Marine Traffic. Accessed: 2 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Sun Laurel. Baltic Shipping. Accessed 2 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Sun Laurel - Chemical/Oil Products Tanker. Vessel Finder. Accessed: 2 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Ships collide in Antarctic whaling protest. Andrew Darby, The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 February 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Sea Shepherd: Tensions Rise in Clash With Japanese Whalers. The Maritime Executive. 26 February 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Our New Friends on the Whaling Fleet Tanker Sun Laurel. Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd 20 February 2013.
  7. 1 2 Japanese navy sent to assist whaling vessels repel protesters. News - Australia. 27 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Darby, Andrew (25 February 2013). "Military icebreaker arrives to defend Japanese whalers". The Age. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Shirase". National Institute of Polar Research. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "砕氷艦「しらせ」による第５４次南極地域観測協力について" (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). Joint Staff Office. November 2, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "進め!しらせ". Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  12. ↑ "第54次南極地域観測隊同行日記" (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment . Retrieved 2018-06-03.
  13. ↑ "第54次日本南極地域観測隊報告" (in Japanese). National Institute of Polar Research . Retrieved 2018-06-03. ... なお、当該海域で作業中、豪州紙 Sydney Morning Herald および公営放送 Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)のオンライン版に、「しらせ」が日本の調査捕鯨母船の日新丸の支援にやって来たとの「シー・シェパード」側の誤った情報を含む記事が掲載された。 ...'
  14. ↑ Kohara, Masahiro (March 2, 2013). "オーストラリアン紙に掲載された南極観測船「しらせ」の記事について" (PDF) (Press release). Consulate-General of Japan, Sydney. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Japan's friendship". The Australian. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Sea Shepherd claims 'false': Japan | SBS World News". Archived from the original on April 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  17. ↑ Politics at play in Sea Shepherd-Japan whaling wars. Nick Bryant, BBC News. 1 March 2013.
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