The ship 'The Simpsons' bought: Anti-whaling activists add vessel to fleet
The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, has built a fleet of four ships to rival Japan's whaling fleet. The latest addition was purchased from the Japanese government by the producer of 'The Simpsons' for $2 million.
Anti-whaling activists unveiled on Tuesday their latest weapon against Japanese whalers, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's new ship, the SSS Sam Simon.
Reuters
Canberra
Anti-whaling activists unveiled on Tuesday their latest weapon against Japanese whalers in the frigid Southern Ocean, a $2 million ship funded by the producer of The Simpsons television series and purchased in secret from the Japanese government.
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The 56-metre (184 ft) 'Sam Simon', which docked in the southern Australian port of Hobart, brings the hardline anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's fleet to four, just one vessel smaller that Japan's whaling fleet.
"We have four ships, one helicopter, drones and more than 120 volunteer crew from around the world ready to defend majestic whales from the illegal operations of the Japanese whaling fleet," said Sea Shepherd founderPaul Watson.
The white-hulled ship, strengthened against ice to operate in seas near Antarctica, was purchased using a U.S. company from its home port in Shimonoseki, where it was berthed alongside the Japanese whaling fleet, its skipper Lockhart MacLean told Reuters.
"The goal is to find the factory ship, the Nisshin Maru, and to pin the bow of this ship on the stern of that factory ship throughout the duration of the campaign, and send them home without any whales killed," MacLean said.
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