Crews aboard an anti-whaling protest ship in the Southern Ocean have escaped injury but are struggling to mend "significant damage" to their vessel after it was rammed by Japanese whalers. Two protest ships belonging to anti-whaling organisation Sea Shepherd were hit by Japanese whale-processing factory ship, Nisshin Maru. The boats, Steve Irwin and Bob Barker, have been following the vessel in the Southern Ocean to try to prevent the slaughter of whales.