A krill harvesting vessel and an activist vessel collide off Antarctica

Aker QRILL, the owner of the vessel, confirmed that an environmental activist vessel had collided with a Norwegian krill harvesting vessel on Tuesday, damaging its hull.

The Captain Paul Watson Foundation's 65-metre Bandero vessel, operated under the Norwegian flag, deliberately struck the trawler Antarctic Sea.

Aker QRILL reported that Bandero hit near the stern, where Aker QRILL's diesel fuel tank is located, causing only minor damage. It shared photos and videos of the incident.

If the steel plates (...) ruptured, a spill could have occurred. "It was probably just luck that it did not cause more damage," said Webjoern Barrstad, the Chief Executive of the company.

He added that before the collision, activists had unsuccessfully tried to damage the fishing nets on another krill harvester called Antarctic Endurance.

FOUNDATION SAYS THE COLLISION IS ACCIDENTAL

In a response to the?foundation, it said that this was "an accident collision" and it was committed "to lawful, responsible, peaceful action to defend marine ecosystems".

In a separate press release, the Captain Paul Watson Foundation was established in 2022 by Canadian antiwhaling activist Paul Watson. It said that it was working to stop krill fishing in feeding grounds for whales, seals, and penguins. "Krill is a foundational specie, and the primary food source for most marine animals. "Without krill, the entire food system would collapse," added the report.

The foundation stated that?Aker QRILL is?the largest harvester for Antarctic krill and accounts for more than 60% the total catch quota.

Barstad said, however, that industrial vessels "harvest only a fraction of the krill stock".

The incident took place?more than 805 km (500 miles) south of Argentina's southern tip. The company reported that nearly 60 crew members from Norway, Ukraine, and the Philippines were aboard the trawler. The trawler was not damaged.

Aker QRILL's owners are American Industrial Partners, a U.S. company, and Kjell Inge Rkke, a Norwegian billionaire. It claims to be the "world's leading krill firm" on its website. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Nerijus Adomiaitis)

(source: Reuters)