Sea Shepherd eyes new ship
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The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd plans to buy a second ship to combat Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean.
The crew aboard the ship Steve Irwin have had a busy few months colliding with a Japanese whaler, being raided by Federal Police, and facing a false bomb threat.
The ship is leaving Hobart today after a two month visit, and heading to Brisbane for repairs to its hull.
The Acting Skipper, Benjamin Baldwin, says a flood of donations has put Sea Shepherd on the brink of buying a bigger, faster ship, worth several million dollars.
"Hopefully next season in Antarctica we'll be able to go down there with a second ship. Hopefully an "ice class" ship, as well," acting captain Baldwin said.
"Two ships is very important. You know, you've got to think we're up against seven ships in the Japanese whaling fleet. So, the more ships we have down there, the safer it is, and the more chance we have of actually stopping them," he said.