Kiwi protesters in ocean clash

The crew of a New Zealand trimaran harassing Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean have been rescued after a collision between their boat and a Japanese ship.

The confrontation happened yesterday in the area of Commonwealth Bay off the Adelie Coast of Antarctica.

The former Earthrace craft, now known as the Ady Gil and sailing for the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was captained by Aucklander Pete Bethune and had at least three other New Zealanders and a Dutchman in its crew.

Its bow was sheared off in the incident.

Mr Bethune said before his departure that he would not follow previous Sea Shepherd tactics in trying to ram Japanese whalers.

But last night, the Japanese Government-sponsored Institute of Cetacean Research issued a video which it claimed showed the Ady Gil idling before accelerating to full speed to cut off the Shonan Maru No 2.

It said the Shonan Maru had tried to avoid the collision.

The video also shows the Japanese crew directing a high-pressure hose at the protesters after the crash.

Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson, who was not at the scene, said the $2 million Ady Gil was immobilised and probably could not be salvaged.

"It cut eight feet [2.4m] off the front of the vessel. There is a big gaping hole, so it can't go anywhere or it would fill up with water," he told the Herald-Sun newspaper in Melbourne.

He claimed the Japanese ship had rammed the Ady Gil.

Locky Maclean, first mate of the society's lead ship, the Steve Irwin, said one crewman had two cracked ribs but the others were uninjured.

The crewmen were transferred to the group's third vessel, the Bob Barker, though Mr Bethune remained on board to see what could be salvaged.

"The original prognosis was that it was sinking. At this point it is flooded with water but it seems to still have a bit of buoyancy," Mr Maclean said.

The Institute of Cetacean Research claimed Ady Gil crewmen were launching projectiles at another ship in the fleet, the Nisshin Maru, and tried to entangle its propellers with rope.

"The Ady Gil came to collision distance directly in front of the Nisshin Maru bow, repeatedly deploying and towing a rope from its stern with the intent to entangle the Japanese vessel's rudder and propeller."

It said the crew of the New Zealand boat were also shining a green laser light and launching stinkbombs.

The Nisshin Maru started its water cannons "and proceeded to prevent the Ady Gil coming closer".

The institute claimed the activists' actions threatened the safety of the Japanese sailors.

- NZPA