- NISSHIN MARU ATTACK ON THE BOB BARKER
- CLEAR FOOTAGE OF WHO RAMMED WHO

Sea Shepherd Australia has released further compelling video from Wednesday’s ramming incident, in which the Japanese whaling fleet’s factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru, intentionally rammed the Sea Shepherd ships (SSS) Bob Barker, Steve Irwin and Sam Simon, as well as its own fuel tanker, the Sun Laurel.

The frightening video clearly shows the Japanese whaling fleet’s 8,000 tonne factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru, pushing the Dutch-flagged, Dutch-owned, Australian operated ship, Bob Barker, into the Japanese whaling fleet's fuel tanker, the Sun Laurel, almost capsizing the Sea Shepherd ship and smashing down on the bridge of the Bob Barker.

Director of Sea Shepherd Australia, Jeff Hansen stated: "For the whalers to suggest that it was Sea Shepherd that rammed their massive illegal factory ship, is like a convicted hit and run criminal saying that it was the pedestrian that ran into their car. It’s simply another poor attempt by these poachers to gain some sort of sympathy for their blatant illegal poaching of whales in an established whale sanctuary, in violation of an Australian Federal Court Ruling. To see this massive bully factory whaling ship, that dwarfs the Bob Barker vessel, come crashing down on the bridge section is a clear indication that these whale poachers have absolutely no respect for not only cetacean, but also human life.”

Currently, the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker are with the Nisshin Maru. Two of the Japanese whale poaching fleet’s harpoon vessels also appear randomly, from time to time, in this same area but the crews of the Sea Shepherd Australia operated ships have not been able to identify specifically which harpoon vessels these are.

The Nisshin Maru has been changing direction regularly, turning east and west and east again – back and forth nine times, so far.

The Sam Simon is with the fuel tanker to the Japanese whaling fleet, the South Korean owned Sun Laurel, along with the Shonan Maru No. 2 and a third harpoon ship – also unidentified. The four ships stopped moving north last night and are 150' North of the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker, drifting in bad weather

The Sea Shepherd Australia fleet expects that the Japanese whale poachers will again attempt to refuel, as soon as the bad weather clears.