Australia to act on whaling row

[TheMightyFavog]

Source: BBC

Australia says it will send a ship to collect two activists from a Japanese whaling vessel, in a bid to end a two-day Antarctic stand-off.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said a ship monitoring the whalers would retrieve the men as soon as possible.

(snip)

Whalers say they want to return them, but Sea Shepherd says conditions for the release are unacceptable.

Mr Smith said that the patrol boat, the Oceanic Viking, would retrieve the men from the Yushin Maru 2 and transfer them to Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin vessel.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7193212.stm

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Further on down the article it says Sea Shepherd was considering a "commando-style raid" to rescue the sailors?

Sea Shepherd ships carry arms?

[Zachstar]

1. Yes

And the ship is designed to sink other ships.

They could care less if they kill anyone... They are pirates and need to be arrested or sunk.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. Armed with what? Small arms?

Sea Shepherd's ships are old Fisheries Protection vessels, which are designed to be unarmed.

I know one of their other ships is reinforced for icy conditions, as it used to be a Norwegian Fisheries protection boat, but not the Steve Irwin.

Unless they've made modifications to the hulls to facilitate ramming attacks.

[depakid]

4. Sorry to have to clue you in

but it's not Sea Shepard who's in VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW.

And- here's another clue- as an NGO, they're entitled under international law to intervene to stop the poaching.

Personally, I wish the Australians would deal with the Japanese as they do with other nations' vessels when they illegally fish- but the Labor government is a bit more cautious than I would be- even though the Japanese actions are a clear slap in Aussie faces.

[zonkers]

2. I hope they sink the whaling ship and send those ignorant barbarians to Davey Jones locker.

[Thothmes]

5. I would seriously doubt

The Royal Australian Navy would kill helpless sailors to save whales. At least I hope so.

[xchrom]

6. good. -- this needs official intervention.

and it's the japanese whalers by their whaling activities that are to blame for this.

[Crayson]

7. conditions... means its an ultimatum/coercion/kidnapping

"Whalers say they want to return them, but Sea Shepherd says conditions for the release are unacceptable."

So they're basically pirates.
Holding people against their will and presenting demands for their release.

Isn't there an international law that any states war vessel can/must take action against pirates ?
I somehow remember something going in this direction.