At about 12:30JST today the New Zealand-registered watercraft Ady Gil collided with the Japanese Antarctic whale research (JARPA II) vessel Shonan Maru No. 2. The collision resulted in damage to the Ady Gil disabling it for navigation.
While scale of damage is currently being checked, the collision resulted in no injuries to the Shonan Maru No. 2 crew and, reportedly, no injuries to the Ady Gil crew.
The Ady Gil crew were rescued by the Sea Shepherd vessel Bob Barker which was close to the collision scene. The Japanese vessels Shonan Maru No. 2 and Yushin Maru No. 3 remain in the area for possible rescue support and further monitoring.
The research-base vessel Nisshin Maru, currently engaged in the Japanese whale research program in the Antarctic (JARPA II) had been subject to continuous attack since the early morning today by the New Zealand-registered watercraft Ady Gil following and the Bob Barker, a vessel sent to the Antarctic by the antiwhaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Photographs and video of the incidents in the Antarctic can be seen at: http://www.icrwhale.org/gpandsea.htm