The Icelandic Coast Guard has taken control of the Bandero, a vessel operated by the Paul Watson Foundation, after its captain allegedly ignored repeated orders to leave Icelandic waters and stop the vessel.
The captain was arrested shortly before midnight during a joint operation involving the Coast Guard and Iceland’s National Commissioner of Police’s special forces. The Bandero is being escorted to Reykjavík Harbour.
What’s the Story?
Original source: RÚV
- The Bandero entered Iceland’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters despite Coast Guard orders to leave.
- Authorities say the vessel failed to comply with repeated instructions before special forces boarded and arrested the captain.
- The operation followed reports that the Bandero had approached and attempted to interfere with the whaling vessel Hvalur 9.
Boarding Operation
According to the Icelandic Coast Guard, the crew of the whaling vessel Hvalur 9 requested assistance on Thursday evening, saying they believed their safety was under threat.
Earlier in the day, the Paul Watson Foundation claimed the Bandero had collided with Hvalur 9, forcing the whaling vessel to abandon its hunt and return to port. The Coast Guard confirmed that the Bandero had approached Hvalur 9 and attempted to disrupt its passage but did not confirm the foundation’s account of a collision.
The Coast Guard said its operations centre received a report at around 6pm that the Bandero had crossed into Iceland’s territorial waters and was heading towards Hvalur 9. Watch officers instructed the vessel to leave Icelandic waters, but the orders were not followed.
A Coast Guard helicopter already on patrol was dispatched to the scene and repeated the instructions without success. The patrol vessel Freyja was then sent to intercept the Bandero, and its captain was ordered to stop the ship’s engines. According to the Coast Guard, those instructions were also ignored.
Special police officers were flown by helicopter to Freyja, while the Coast Guard’s special operations unit approached the Bandero in fast boats. The teams boarded the vessel shortly before midnight, arrested the captain and assumed control of the ship.
The Bandero is expected to arrive at Sundahöfn harbour in Reykjavík later tonight. The Coast Guard said the operation was carried out in close cooperation with the Office of the National Commissioner of Police and that Iceland’s Ministry of Justice was kept informed throughout.
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