NEWS RELEASE, December 2012

Sea Shepherd Vessel The Bob Barker In Wellington, December 6 Until Departure

Sea Shepherd’s 2012-2013 Southern Ocean campaign Operation Zero Tolerance will be the strongest fleet in the history of Sea Shepherd to prevent whaling in International Whaling Commission protected waters. About 2/3 of New Zealand is within the Southern Ocean territory. This campaign is our biggest yet and we will be supported by four boats, four captains, crewed by over 120 committed conservationists from more than 23 nations, assisted by UAV drones, a helicopter, small boats, new tactics and 1000’s of supporters

The Bob Barker, an ice strengthened ex-Norwegian whaling vessel, tailed the factory ship the Nisshin Maru for over 5000km before the whalers abandoned their hunt successfully curtailing the 2011 -2012 whaling season with only 25% of intended quota taken. The vessel will be docked at the Taranaki Street Wharf and open for ship tours from Friday December 7, before joining the Sea Shepherd fleet. Whale migration to Antarctic feeding grounds for the Southern Hemisphere summer has begun and Ship Manager Andrea Gordon says that these migrating whales “are the same whales the whalers are going down to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to kill”.

Sea Shepherd has a successful history of conservation with an excess of 3600 whales have been saved during the past eight campaigns. The whale kill diminishes each year and is attributable to Sea Shepherd direct action. Captain Peter Hammarstedt of the Bob Barker is embarking upon his eighth campaign to Antarctica and affirms Operation Zero Tolerance aims “to effectively shut down illegal whaling operations”.

Captain Peter Hammarstedt will be available for media interviews from December 9 and Ship Manager Andrea Gordon (pictured with the Bob Barker) is available for interviews from December 6.

www.seashepherd.org

ENDS

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