Eco-warrior's ship gets thorough scrutiny

4.15pm - by NEIL SANDERSON

Law enforcement agents have scoured a volunteer-run conservation ship in Auckland harbour looking for evidence that the ship is armed with torpedoes.

They have used an explosives-sniffing dog to search the ship's interior, and sent divers under the ship to look for evidence of torpedo tubes on the hull.

Police or Customs agents have called on the Canadian-registered motor vessel Farley Mowat five times in the past week, but have found no secret weapons.

The most recent visit was this morning when police asked the captain to voluntarily surrender a replica torpedo he carries on the ship's deck. The captain has refused.

The 48m Farley Mowat is the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international marine mammal protection group headed by a Canadian, Paul Watson.

The ship, originally a Norwegian fisheries inspection vessel, was renamed by Watson in honour of a renowned Canadian author and environmentalist.

Captain Watson sailed into Auckland on August 14 and plans to leave in about a week for Antarctica where he and the crew of approximately 40 will attempt to disrupt Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary.

Although a Sea Shepherd crew member today described the continual visits from authorities as "time consuming" at a time when the crew were working hard to prepare for the upcoming voyage, she said everyone had been amazed at how polite and friendly the officers were.

Captain Watson was philosophical about the official scrutiny. He said it was the sort of thing that often occurred just before the start of a mission.

He suspected that the Japanese government had been exerting pressure on New Zealand but did not hold New Zealand authorities responsible.

"I guess they have to act on the information," he said.

The searches began on the morning of November 22, when a team of New Zealand Customs officers searched the ship while Watson was not aboard.

The crew member in charge at the time, Dinah Elissat, said Customs officer Craig Rogers told her they had received information "from a highly reputable source" that there was a live torpedo, explosives and armaments aboard the ship.

Mr Rogers declined to comment today, referring questions to his team leader who could not be contacted.

Ms Elissat said the Customs officers also had a list of the crew - apparently printed from the Sea Shepherd Society's website - and wanted to question two individuals in particular.

One of the two people had already left the crew but agents searched his former cabin, apparently finding nothing. Ms Elissat said she and another volunteer were asked about the former crew member's potential ability to create and arm torpedoes, something she said she found quite unlikely.

She said the Customs officers asked about a second crew member who they believed had been in the Canadian military.

"He was in the air force as a helicopter pilot 32 years ago and had had no involvement with explosives," she said.

While most of the crew voluntarily stayed in the messroom, the customs officers and an explosives-sniffing dog went through the ship.

They were particularly interested in what appeared to be a torpedo, about 3m long and lashed down on the ship's main deck in plain view.

Later the same day, the customs officers returned with a naval munitions expert. They raised the "torpedo" from the ship's deck to examine it, before concluding that it was not a real weapon.

On November 27, Customs and Police officers turned up at the ship together, and two Customs divers went into the water.

Captain Watson said the divers found large, surfboard-size protrusions on the hull of the 44-year-old ship, something which he said was easily explained.

"Although the ship was built as a Norwegian fisheries patrol vessel, her real mission was to spy on Soviet submarines in the White Sea, and she was fitted with huge sonar transducers."

Watson says that, far from being secret weapons, the ship's appendages are a nuisance. Whenever the vessel is in drydock he tries to scrape together enough money to remove another one.

"We've cut off two of them so far and have another 2 or 3 left. But it costs $1500 to remove each one."

Detective Sergeant Andrew Saunders said Auckland police, who also visited the ship on the 27th, only became involved after being alerted by Customs to a possible torpedo.

He described the matter as a "storm in teacup" and said he was satisfied the apparent torpedo was a replica. "It's really nothing more than a very large paperweight."

The Farley Mowat captain and crew had been entirely co-operative with the police.

"They were checked out, obviously because of the America's Cup, and because they are an activist group. We're satisfied there's no problem."

Yesterday, however, police boarded the ship again and asked the captain to give a statement about the "torpedo".

Watson said he explained to the police that he had been given the replica by someone in Seattle and he believed it had been made for training.

He pointed out the blunt-edged "propeller" blades and said a cover could be removed to show that the 3m long cylinder was empty.

The "torpedo" was carried in plain view for a very good reason, he said.

"We use it to intimidate poachers on the high seas."

The latest visit from police was this morning when Watson says he was invited to voluntarily surrender the "torpedo" so that the ship would not have to undergo the same sort of scrutiny when it returns to Auckland early in the new year.

He said he would keep it.

"I said they were welcome to come back and inspect it any time."

Watson, 51, was a founder of Greenpeace, but left to start his own organisation 25 years ago.

The Sea Shepherd Society has a history of direct action against illegal whaling and says it has sunk ten whaling ships worldwide.

Watson says he enforces international conservation laws because governments have not been effective in doing so.

Although his actions have been dangerous and dramatic, no one has been injured as a result and Watson has not been convicted of any crime.

Watson is keeping tight-lipped about his plans to take on the Japanese fleet of six harpoon ships and one whale meat processing ship in the Antarctic.

Japan kills between 400 and 600 minke whales each year for what it calls "scientific" purposes.

Herald feature: Environment