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[ citation needed ] 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 some of the crew on board the Sun Laurel. [6] [7] The next day, they blocked another refueling attempt, and in retaliation[ citation needed ], 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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Shepherd Conservation Society</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaling in Japan</span> 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.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neptune's Navy</span> 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.

MV <i>Arctic Sunrise</i> Icebreaker ship operated by Greenpeace

Arctic Sunrise is an ice-strengthened vessel operated by Greenpeace. The vessel was built in Norway in 1975 and has a gross tonnage of 949, a length of 50.5 metres (166 ft) and a maximum speed of 13 knots. She is classified by Det Norske Veritas as a "1A1 icebreaker". The ship is powered by a single MaK marine diesel engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaler</span> Specialized ship designed for whaling

A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales.

<i>Nisshin Maru</i> Whaling factory ship of the Japanese whaling fleet

The Nisshin Maru (日新丸) was the primary vessel of the Japanese whaling fleet and was the world's only whaler factory ship. It was the research base ship for the Institute of Cetacean Research for 2002 to 2007. It had 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 was based in Japan in Shimonoseki harbor and was 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> Vessel used by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The MV 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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese Antarctic Expedition</span> Research expedition

The Japanese Antarctic Expedition of 1910–12, in the ship Kainan Maru, was the first such expedition by a non-European nation. It was concurrent with two major Antarctic endeavours led respectively by Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott, and has been relatively overlooked in polar history. After failing to land in its first season, the Japanese expedition's original aim of reaching the South Pole was replaced by less ambitious objectives, and after a more successful second season it returned safely to Japan, without injury or loss of life.

<i>Whale Wars</i> Television series

Whale Wars was a weekly American documentary-style reality television series that premiered on November 7, 2008 on the Animal Planet cable channel. The program follows 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> Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship

The MY Bob Barker was 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 became the ship's honorary home port in 2014.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Shepherd Conservation Society operations</span> 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) Japanese Polar Icebreaker

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.

<i>At the Edge of the World</i> (2008 film) 2008 American film

At the Edge of the World is a 2008 documentary which chronicles the efforts of animal rights activist Paul Watson and 45 other volunteers, who set out in two Sea Shepherd ships to hinder the Japanese whaling fleet in the waters around Antarctica. The film won Best Environmental Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Director and Producer Dan Stone would later produce the first season of Whale Wars. It depicts what actually went on during this excursion, with clips of beautiful scenery, news clips, whaling in action, and life on the ship.

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.

<i>Tonan Maru No. 3</i> Japanese whale oil factory ship (1938–1971)

Tonan Maru No. 3, from 1951 simply the Tonan Maru, was a Japanese whale oil factory ship. Built at Osaka in 1938 she was the largest merchant ship built in Japan to that point. She carried out whaling in the South Atlantic and in 1941 was blacklisted by the British government, believed to be because she was suspected of refuelling German vessels in the Pacific during the Second World War. Following the Japanese entry into the war Tonan Maru No. 3 was operated as an oil tanker in support of military operations. She survived 11 torpedo hits from USS Tinosa in 1943 as most failed to detonate. Tonan Maru No. 3 was sunk in Chuuk Lagoon by carrier-based aircraft in the 17 February 1944 Operation Hailstone. She was salvaged by Japan after the war, rebuilt and returned to service as the Tonan Maru in 1951. She returned to whaling and was scrapped in 1971.

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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