Iceland seizes anti-whaling protest vessel Bandero
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Captain arrested after alleged whaling interference.
- 21 crew members detained aboard ship.
- Incident occurs during Iceland's whaling season.
Icelandic authorities have taken control of the anti-whaling protest ship Bandero following a high-seas standoff off the coast of Iceland.
The vessel, operated by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, was seized late Thursday night after allegedly monitoring and pursuing Hvalur 9, one of Iceland’s two remaining active commercial whaling ships.
Special forces board vessel
According to official statements, the operation was initiated around 5:00 p.m. Thursday when the crew of Hvalur 9 issued an emergency request for assistance, reporting that they felt their safety was threatened by the approaching Bandero.
The Icelandic Coast Guard reported that watch officers repeatedly ordered the Bandero to exit Iceland's 12-nautical-mile territorial waters.
After the vessel failed to respond, a Coast Guard helicopter and the patrol ship Freyja were dispatched to intercept it.
When the Bandero's captain refused further orders to shut down the engines, members of the police special forces unit -the "Viking Squad"- were deployed by helicopter to board the ship around midnight.
The vessel was brought to Reykjavík Harbor on Friday, where local police took over the investigation.
Reports from Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV indicate that authorities plan to deport the crew and issue entry bans.
"The Captain Paul Watson Foundation confirms that its vessel, the Bandero, has been seized at sea by the Icelandic Coast Guard following weeks of monitoring and pursuing Hvalur 9," the foundation stated by email to AFP, noting that its 21 crew members were being detained on board without access to their phones.
Founder Paul Watson was not aboard the ship during the incident.
Whaling season proceeds amid ban
The confrontation occurs following the lifting of a two-year suspension on whaling in Iceland—one of only three nations, alongside Norway and Japan, that still permits commercial whale hunting.
Roughly 32 whales have been harpooned so far during the current mid-June to mid-September hunting season, a marked decline compared to previous years.
Public and political support for the industry inside Iceland has continued to fall, with parliament expected to introduce a bill this autumn aimed at permanently banning commercial whaling.
