Sleek, black and bristling with technology, this stealth yacht is animal conservationists’ latest weapon in their ongoing battle with Japanese whalers.
The New Zealand-registered ship called Ady Gil came within 66 feet of colliding with the bow of Japanese harpoon ship Sonan Maru No. 2 today.
The activists tried to blind the Japanese crew with lasers and ‘fired ball-like projectiles with a projectile-launching device’ during an attack that lasted 3.5 hours, the Japanese government-sponsored Institute of Cetacean Research said in a statement.
Each accused the other of coming dangerously close during the clashes. Neither reported any injuries or ship damage.
Sea Shepherd accused the Japanese of using crowd-control sound technology known as a Long Range Acoustic Devices, or LRADs, as well as water cannon against the Ady Gil crew. The activists said they responded with lasers to get the Japanese to back off to a safe distance.
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