The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin has successfully chased the Japanese whaling fleet out of the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory.

For the last 10 days the Japanese fleet was killing whales not far off the coast of the Australian Antarctic Territory. On the morning of February 23rd, Sea Shepherd intercepted the fleet about 80 miles north of the Shackleton Glacier.

Over the last 24 hours the fleet has fled north and they are now above the 200 miles territorial lines that defines the Australian Antarctic Economic Exclusion Zone and the Australian Whale Sanctuary.

No whales have been killed during the last 30 hours.

"It is incredibly satisfying to be moving through these waters seeing Fin whales, Piked whales and Humpback whales spouting and breaching and knowing they are safe from the harpoons as long as we are here," said Canadian crewmember Shannon Mann, 35 from Calgary, Alberta.

The Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin continues to pursue the Japanese fleet with the objective of doing so for the next three weeks.