Sea Shepards... Pirates or heroes?

[Rickypym]

The Sea Shepard Society pesters and harasses the Japanese whaling fleet every year in the southern oceans.

Some say they are illegal pirates who should be jailed and fined for attacking peaceful whalers acting within their rights.

Others argue that the Sea Shepherds are true modern heroes, because they are the only ones wiling to do whatever it takes to stop whaling, if even if they have to vandalize the Japanese whaling ships.

Which is it, heroes or villains?

[JustSomeone]

Terrorism

[Djoser]

I'd say life is not black or white, so a bit of both

[Bonecracker]

They are PURE terrorists. Soul-less money grubbing fucks who don't give a damn about ACTUAL animal welfare and the true balance of the ecosystem.

[Tugboatcap]

First, I think whaling should be stopped, but using various legal systems to do so, not by endangering human lives in pulling this grandstanding crap. Being a licensed mariner and holding a Captain's license, I'd have to say they need to be tried in a court of law as common pirates. You have to remember, the Captain of those ships is wholly responsible for the safe operation of those ships and the welfare of the crew, no matter if people disagree with what the owner is doing with them or not. If something happens on their watch, they would be responsible. This bunch of "environmentalists" has done damage to the ships that could have endangered all on board and in the process violated every navigation law known to man in their illegal activities and risked lives on both sides. I'd say the wheelhouse crews on the ships have done a pretty good job of not running these yahoos over and killing the fools.

TugboatCap!

[Ironbeard]

I don't know enough to make a full decision. For now I'll just say I'm against the whalers. Not familiar enough with the sea shepards methods to be 100% for. But based on coming changes in the next 30 years, who knows.

[Bonecracker]

Again, I reiterate... they are pure terrorists

[Tugboatcap]

Ironbeard, they have been playing bumper-cars with their smaller ships into whaling ships, trying to foul their wheels with steel cables and many other things that could seriously jeopardize lives.

Most of these whaling ships are single screw and if the wheel is fouled, they don't move. In certain circumstances, the tailshaft can snap and it can sink the ship. They've holed 2 ships so far by ramming them, luckily, both times it's been above the water line. Next time, maybe not so lucky...

I've actually hit a ship with a 100' Tug during docking operations (under emergency circumstances when the ship lost power coming into the Port of Pensacola and I had to come in hard to keep it from hitting the city docks head on!) hard enough to hole it and believe me, I would NEVER do that intentionally. Even with my crew prepared for the strike it still threw 2 men holding on, down to the deck and snapped two foundation bolts on the main engines. When you're dealing with that much weight, it's dramatic and dangerous.

The blood sucking jerks have already sunk one of their own small craft pulling this crap, almost losing crew in the process AND then wanted to blame the whalers. The boat, as it happens, was loaned to the group by a misguided supporter and the owner is now trying to collect the multi-million dollar insurance claim on the craft they sunk and he has been denied because of the way in which the vessel was sunk.

It's only a matter of time before someone is killed by these idiots.

[Ironbeard]

Are sea shepherds the same people that just make them selfs in between the whalers and the whales giving the whales time to escape or is that another name.

[Bonecracker]

That's another group of certifiable lunatics.