reply to post by RWM88
(I spent a nice part of yesterday looking for evidence of where the Sea Shepherds crew trained for their tickets. I have found none which means the
crew are just people that fancy themselves Captains, Chief Mates, 2nd Mates and so forth. Below I can't see any mention of maritime training for the
ranks they hold).
What crew did you research? Sea Shepard is not a ship, it is the organization. The boat that was sunk was the "Ady Gil" which was formerly known as
"Earthrace". I expect (but don't know for sure) that the "Ady Gil" was registered in New Zealand, where it was built and where Captain Bethune is
from.
The "Ady Gil" was not a commercial ship, but a private yacht.
The other Sea Shepard vessel in the area is the "MV Steve Irwin" which is registered in the Netherlands, I believe, and should certainly have a
professional Bridge, Deck, and Engine crews. 'Non-professionals', that is 'the Volunteers', are encouraged to obtain a an 'Able Seaman' ticket
and would fill only the lower Deck, Engine, and Stewards positions (exactly like any other Research vessel, I gather).
Does that help your search any?
Edit: Oh, yeah. Of course all Sea Shepard vessels operate under the 'Skull and Crossbones' when on 'active' duty. I'm not aware how that affects
the legal jurisdiction of their actions. If the Steve I is registered in the Netherlands, doesn't it have to be tried in the Netherlands, except
since they are flying the 'Jolly Roger' they are disowning their flag rights? I dunno.
Edit2: Oh, yeah, again. The other Sea Shepard vessel is the MV Bob Barker and is registered in the Cook Islands. Its crew qualifications should be the
same as the MV Steve Irwin.
Edit3: But now I've found this, so I guess I'm wrong:
Source
Question: There has been criticism that your crew appear to be amateurs, that they are not professional seamen. How do you respond to that?
Captain Paul Watson: I respond by saying that I agree with this assessment. I need people of passion on our campaigns. I need dedicated volunteers
willing to risk their lives to protect the whales. The average soldier in the trenches in World War I or in the field in the Second World War were not
professional soldiers - they were volunteers or they were drafted, they were amateurs.
Question: Your critics say that this is unsafe and that you are putting lives at risk and that this is an irresponsible thing to do.
Captain Paul Watson: I have been taking volunteer crews to sea since 1975 and in over 300 voyages; I have never lost a crewmember, not even one single
serious injury. I think that is a record that speaks for itself. What is interesting is that our opposition are not so safety conscious. This year the
Japanese whaling fleet had three serious injuries and one fatality. Two years ago they had two fatalities. They have had two devastating fires on the
Nisshin Maru in the last decade. Perhaps our critics should be more concerned for the safety record of the whalers and not us.
[edit on 18/2/2010 by rnaa]
[edit on 18/2/2010 by rnaa]
[edit on 18/2/2010 by rnaa]
