A Japanese whaling vessel has rammed a Sea Shepherd protest ship, cutting it in half and leaving it sinking (photos here). No-one has been injured, and the crew of the Ady Gil (the former Earthrace biofuel jetboat) have all been rescued - but people could easily have been killed, either in the collision or by the Southern Ocean in its aftermath. This is a dangerous escalation in the behaviour of the Japanese whaling fleet, and it creates a real risk of retaliation. And the consequences of any similar incident could very easily be dead people.
I blame the Japanese for this. They clearly have a policy of responding aggressively to protests in a manner which shows utter contempt for human life. And that insanity needs to stop. They are operating in one of the most dangerous environments in the world, where any mistake can be deadly. They shouldn't be adding to those risks by ramming people.
