Sea Shepherd's new vessel
Sam Simon unveiled to the worldToday, December 11, 2012, Captain Lockhart MacLean will bring Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's newest vessel, the SSS Sam Simon into Hobart, Tasmania, as part of Operation Zero Tolerance, Sea Shepherd's ninth Antarctic whale defence campaign. The ship was unveiled at a press conference at Macquarie Wharf 1 at 11:00am featuring Captain Lockhart MacLean and crew.
Until now, the location and identity of Sea Shepherd's new vessel, the SSS Sam Simon has remained a secret.
In an interesting twist, it has been revealled that the Sam Simon is indeed a former Japanese government ship. The 57-metre ship was built in Tokyo in 1993 and called the Seifu Maru. It was used for meteorolgical work before being laid up next to the whaling fleet in Simonoseki.
The ship was purchased through a third party in the US before being handed over to Sea Shepherd to work against the very whaling fleet the Japanese government supports.
Captain Lockhart MacLean stated: "Sea Shepherd supporters all over the world will be absolutely thrilled when they learn the identity of our newest vessel. Sea Shepherd has been on the search for a fourth vessel for some time and I am proud to be sailing her into Hobart, one of our strongest support bases, and considered the gateway to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary."
Commenting on the unveiling of the new vessel Captain Paul Watson said: "Thanks to the generosity of Sam Simon, co-creator of TV’s The Simpsons, our fleet is stronger than ever with the addition of this new vessel. We have four ships, one helicopter, drones and more than 120 volunteer crew members from around the world ready to defend majestic whales from the illegal operations of the Japanese Whaling Fleet."
Sea Shepherd's Australian Director Jeff Hansen said, "For the past two years, the whalers have not made a profit, the only reason this barbaric and cruel industry is staying afloat is due to money taken away from tsunami victims. It's time to end this insane slaughter once and for all and restore the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to what it should be -- a sanctuary for the great whales."
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
