Activist ship's collision with krill trawler off Antarctica called "deliberate attack"

Key Points:

• A ship operated by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation collided with the Norwegian krill trawler Antarctic Sea in Antarctic waters, with the trawler's owner describing the incident as a "deliberate attack" that endangered crew safety and environmental health.
• Aker QRILL, the owner of the Antarctic Sea, stated the collision nearly caused a diesel spill, putting the sensitive Southern Ocean ecosystem, home to whales, seals, and seabirds, at risk; the crew was unharmed but shaken.
• The Captain Paul Watson Foundation claimed the collision was accidental and described their actions as "aggressive nonviolence," aiming to disrupt krill fishing during a five-hour intervention against Aker's vessels.
• The incident highlights tensions over krill fishing in Antarctica, where demand for krill in supplements and fishmeal conflicts with conservation efforts to protect this key species critical to the marine food chain and climate regulation.
• Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and the foundation involved, is known for confrontational marine activism, though he was not aboard the ship during the incident; investigations into the collision are expected at the Bandero’s next port of call.