Icelandic coast guards and special forces seized the protest vessel Bandero, operated by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, and detained its 21 crew members after the ship allegedly ignored orders to leave Icelandic waters. The vessel was apprehended after a whaling ship requested assistance due to perceived threats.
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between anti-whaling activists and nations that permit commercial whaling, potentially impacting diplomatic relations and the operations of environmental advocacy groups.
Icelandic authorities seized a ship operated by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation and detained its crew, officials announced Saturday. The Icelandic Coast Guard stated that the crew of the whaling ship Hvalur 9 requested assistance due to perceived threats from the protest vessel Bandero. According to the coast guard, the Bandero disregarded instructions to leave Icelandic waters and later an order to stop its engines. Coast guards and the police special forces Viking Squad boarded the Bandero around midnight on Thursday, detaining its 21 crew members. Paul Watson, the founder of the foundation, was not on board.
The vessel arrived in Reykjavik on Friday, and police have initiated an investigation. Icelandic national broadcaster RUV reported that authorities intend to seek the deportation of the crew and a ban on their future return to Iceland. Iceland, along with Norway and Japan, continues to practice commercial whaling, setting annual quotas for fin and minke whales. The hunt has become increasingly controversial within Iceland, with declining domestic demand for whale meat.
Paul Watson, 75, a Canadian-born activist and former head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, established his foundation after leaving Sea Shepherd in 2022. His past activism has involved high-seas confrontations with whaling vessels, leading to arrests and media attention. He was previously imprisoned in Greenland in 2024 after being arrested on a Japanese warrant related to charges from 2010. Upon his release, Watson expressed a desire to avoid countries where Interpol might attempt to arrest him.