Japanese sink anti-whaling ship?

Well, I'm not too sure if you heard, but the Ady Gil, an anti-whaling boat has been split in half after a collision with the Japanese whaling ship, Shonan Maru on Wednesday 6th.Here is an article: http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,26558824-5006301,00.htmlI believe that the both sides are at fault, with the Ady Gil being a faster ship than the Shonan Maru, and could have moved out of the way. However, the Shonan Maru was firing water cannons at the Ady Gill to get them to go away, and continued to do so after the crash.So, what are your thoughts?

I read about this...In the hearald sun,....I think the crew were resting/sleeping or something, which would explain why they are hit.But (for once) I don't trust the japanese-I think it may have been on purpose-whale are an endangered species and persist on harvesting them.

flashSTRIKE · #1I believe that the both sides are at fault, with the Ady Gil being a faster ship than the Shonan Maru, and could have moved out of the way.

Not true, its not possible to suddenly turn a ship. Ady Gil would only be faster in a straight line, and would be able to turn faster only if they were already moving at speed. I think it was deliberate; nautical regulations require a minimum distance maintained between ships to prevent accidental collisions. These two were both aware of the other's presence and therefore the collision could only have occured through one or both ships deliberately breaking the nautical codes.sounds like the whaler sunk an extremely valuable ship though.

Replying to #3

Well it was donated by Andy gil whoever he is (it used to be his ship...he is a celebraty of some sort).I'd help these guys if not for the fact that the whaling ships sound more and more agressive by the day...

I saw a japanese cooking special on the RBC (Ryukyu broadcasting center) and they dragged up a whale up the boat ramp and cut into it ON TELEVISION, i know it is wrong but i was slightly amused when the reporter ate a chunk and said "umai desu!"

Hahaha, almost like in South Park xD

Shonan Maru sank andy gil ship? and the shonan maru is firing water canon on the andy gil.meaning the sinking its a deliberate sinking. but a persistent andy had it coming...

If anyone actually watched the footage, the Ady Gil attempted to either turn away from the whaler or accelerate past it to get clearance but was unable to do ether due to its course at the time. Both ships were in breach of nautical regulations (as is sadly normal when it comes to whaling protests), which led to the collision. Technically speaking the Ady Gil was at fault, but it was an accident similar to that of someone swerving in between lanes on a road and hitting a car. An accident, but avoidable.

Well, dur. It was the Japanese fault, there ship was huge, the other guys were unprepared and caught off guard!

The Ady Gil is there to harass the Japanese whaling ships and doing nothing good by doing so. That makes the Ady Gil at fault just on principle. The Japanese are hunting southern Minke whales with an estimated population of 650,000. With an annual catch of just over 500 it would take the Japanese 1,300 years to make the southern Minke whale extinct, barring the whales could live that long and no others were born. This particular species of whales are in no danger of going extinct anytime soon. The captain of the Ady Gil should be tried for placing his crew and the Japanese crew in danger. I would also like to see the financial backers of the Ady Gil tried as well. Maybe this nonsense would stop. There is nothing wrong with hunting a species of whales that is in no danger of extinction.Looks like sound harvesting to me.

Suiseiseki · #8If anyone actually watched the footage, the Ady Gil attempted to either turn away from the whaler or accelerate past it to get clearance but was unable to do ether due to its course at the time. Both ships were in breach of nautical regulations (as is sadly normal when it comes to whaling protests), which led to the collision. Technically speaking the Ady Gil was at fault, but it was an accident similar to that of someone swerving in between lanes on a road and hitting a car. An accident, but avoidable.

This.
How cool was that boat though :|

TAYLOR2O · #9Well, dur. It was the Japanese fault, there ship was huge, the other guys were unprepared and caught off guard!

Actually. If I remember my boaters safety courses correctly (Had to get a license to pilot a boat when under 18). Large, less maneuverable boats usually have the right away, with an exception for sail boats.So if in fact the Ady Gil was a smaller, faster, more maneuverable vessel, it should have yielded to the larger ship. But of course both ships were just playing chicken with each other because the anti-whalers want to protect the whales and the Japanese want to eat them (and probably use the other parts for stuff too). When two people (or groups of people) play chicken, and someone gets hurt, the only person at fault is the person who got hurt, they could have stopped long before the threat of danger existed.