Australia unable to pin blame for Ady Gil crash with whalers

SYDNEY, May 8,AFP - Australian authorities Saturday said they had been unable to determine who was to blame for the sinking of a superboat during clashes between Japanese whalers and militant activists off Antarctica.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said Japan’s refusal to cooperate with its investigation had made it impossible to draw any firm conclusions about who was responsible for the collision which destroyed the New Zealand-flagged trimaran Ady Gil.

“On the basis of the available evidence, AMSA has been unable to determine whether either vessel took any action intended to cause a collision,” AMSA said in an incident report published Saturday.

“Logistical and jurisdictional limitations prevented AMSA from satisfactorily communicating with the relevant parties to establish facts that would allow the drawing of justifiable and definitive conclusions at this time,” it added.

Harpoon ship Shonan Maru 2 and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Ady Gil collided in the Southern Ocean on January 6, with each side blaming the other for the smash which crippled the high-tech Ady Gil.

The powerboat, which had its front sliced off, subsequently sank, and its captain, New Zealander Pete Bethune, was taken into Japanese custody after boarding one of the whaling fleet under the cover of darkness to make a citizen’s arrest over the crash.

AMSA said it had warned the crew of the carbon-and-kevlar Ady Gil about the dangers of operating in the remote Southern Ocean, and questioned its safe operation in an ice environment.

“The Australian government warned both the Sea Shepherd crew and the Japanese whaling fleet of the dangers of a possible collision,” AMSA said.

“AMSA also communicated its concerns, including concerns about the durability of the Ady Gil in the event of a collision, directly to the master and crew of the Ady Gil.”

Sea Shepherd provided a written account of the incident to investigators as well as footage depicting the crash, but AMSA said the Japanese government refused its requests for information “owing to the possibility that this material might be required in any investigation by Japanese authorities.”

“Japan indicated that this was to avoid any prejudice to possible Japanese investigations,” AMSA said.

It noted Japan’s claims that the collision was the result of “continuous sabotage by the Ady Gil” but said it was “beyond the scope of this inquiry to investigate the Japanese government’s allegations against Sea Shepherd.”

“However, in response to a formal request from the Japanese government ... Australian Federal Police is conducting preliminary inquiries into these matters,” AMSA said

It said “no firm conclusions” could be drawn from video footage of the collision, except that the captain of the Shonan Maru No 2 had stopped afterwards to check on the crew of the Ady Gil and offer assistance.