Media release - 13 January
2014 - The Australian Government has completed
the first flight in its monitoring of whaling
and protest fleets in the Southern Ocean.
On Sunday 12 January
the Australian Customs and Border Protection
Service deployed an A319 aircraft to undertake
the first monitoring flight of the whaling
season.
The flight left Melbourne
early on Sunday morning, and returned later
in the afternoon.
The flight observed
Sea Shepherd's vessel the Bob Barker and
the Japanese whaling vessel the Yushin Maru
No.3. The two vessels were separated by
approximately 200 nautical miles.
No whaling activities
or infringements on safety at sea were observed
during the monitoring mission.
This is the first monitoring
mission to be undertaken during the Southern
Ocean whaling season in six years, and only
the second ever.
The use of aircraft
has been determined as the most effective
means of monitoring activities in this remote
and extensive area, and allows us to monitor
multiple ships in a diversely spread fleet.
In addition, Australia
has informed Japanese authorities that our
clear position is that vessels associated
with the Japanese whaling fleet should not
conduct operations in Australia's Exclusive
Economic Zone or territorial sea.
The Government is in
regular contact with Japanese officials
with respect to all relevant aspects of
Japan's whaling activities in the Southern
Ocean.
Australia's views on
whaling are well known – we strongly
oppose all commercial whaling, including
Japan's so-called 'scientific' whaling.
Australia has argued
its case in the International Court of Justice
and we are now awaiting the ruling of the
Court.
Monitoring in the Southern
Ocean will continue during the whaling season,
which is expected to end in March 2014.
It is important that
Australia has a presence in the Southern
Ocean during the whaling season and to remind
all parties that it is important to abide
by their safety at sea obligations.
While
we respect the right to peaceful protest,
Australia will not condone any dangerous,
reckless or unlawful behaviour. It is the
responsibility of the masters of all vessels
operating in the Southern Ocean during the
2013-14 whaling season to ensure that the
safety of human life at sea is not endangered.
The Southern Ocean can be a treacherous,
remote and unforgiving environment, where
search and rescue capability is extremely
limited.
