Iceland Expels 21 Anti‑Whaling Activists and Seizes Paul Watson’s Vessel Bandero

Icelandic authorities seized the 65‑metre motor yacht Bandero, operated by the Paul Watson Foundation, after it attempted to disrupt the whaling ship Hvalur 9 in Iceland’s exclusive economic zone.

Crew members tried to ram the whaler and then launched an inflatable boat with a net to damage its propellers; both attempts failed. The Coast Guard boarded the vessel, arrested the captain and detained the yacht in Reykjavik.

Police announced the expulsion of the 21 activists on board, imposing a minimum two‑year ban on re‑entering Iceland; for non‑EEA nationals the ban extends to the entire Schengen area. The expelled crew included citizens of the United States, Brazil, France, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Trinidad and Tobago. Paul Watson himself was not aboard.

Iceland remains one of only three countries (with Norway and Japan) that permit commercial whaling, but the government plans to introduce legislation this autumn to prohibit the practice. Authorities said the activists violated international maritime law and endangered safety at sea.