Huge waves damage anti-whaling boat
10 crew on board Brigitte Bardot Anti-whaling activists chasing the Japanese harpoon fleet suffered a major setback Thursday when the hull of one of their ships cracked in massive seas and a second had to divert to its rescue.The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said the Brigitte Bardot's hull split when it was struck by a "rogue wave" as it tailed the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru in six metre (20-foot) swells some 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometres) southwest of Australia."The crack has been getting wider as the seas continue to pound the vessel," the activist group said.Sea Shepherd spokesman Paul Watson said lead vessel the Steve Irwin was en route to the troubled Brigitte Bardot, which has also suffered severe damage to one of its pontoons, but warned it would take 20 hours to get there.The Bardot's captain, South African-born Jonathan Miles Renecle, was "confident that the ship will stay afloat until the Steve Irwin arrives" he added."This is disappointing but these are hostile seas and we have always been prepared for situations like this," Watson said."Right now the safety of my crew on the Brigitte Bardot is our priority and we intend to reach the crew and then do what ...
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