Iceland seizes anti‑whaling vessel Bandero, detains crew and seeks deportation
Icelandic coast guard and special police forces boarded the Paul Watson Foundation’s anti‑whaling ship Bandero after it ignored orders to leave Icelandic waters and to stop its engines while shadowing the commercial whaler Hvalur 9. The vessel was taken to Reykjavík, its captain arrested and the 21‑person crew detained aboard the Coast Guard ship Freyja. Phones were confiscated and the crew were questioned.
Icelandic police have asked immigration authorities to deport the activists and bar them from re‑entering the country. The detainees, drawn from the United States, Brazil, France, Spain, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Trinidad‑and‑Tobago and others, are accused of violating international maritime law and endangering safety. Paul Watson, the foundation’s founder, was not on board.
The seizure has drawn worldwide media attention. Iceland, together with Norway and Japan, remains one of the few nations that still permit commercial whaling, a practice increasingly contested domestically and internationally.
Entities: Bandero · Bandero · Hval 9 · Hvalur 9 · Hvalur 9 · Iceland · Icelandic Coast Guard · Icelandic Police · Paul Watson · Paul Watson Foundation · Reykjavík Harbour (Sundahöfn) · Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Icelandic Coast Guard seized the vessel Bandero operated by the Paul Watson Foundation after the captain ignored orders to leave Icelandic waters. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Paul Watson Foundation claimed Bandero collided with Hvalur 9, but the Coast Guard did not confirm a collision. (All articles)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Bandero’s crew ignored orders to stop the ship’s engines. (Bandero’s crew ignored orders to stop the ship’s engines.)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Bandero entered Iceland’s 12‑nautical‑mile territorial waters despite orders to leave. (Bandero entered Iceland’s 12‑nautical‑mile territorial waters despite orders to leave.)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The whaling vessel Hvalur 9 reported that its safety was threatened by Bandero and requested assistance. (The whaling vessel Hvalur 9 reported that its safety was threatened by Bandero and requested assistance.)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The captain of Bandero was arrested during a joint operation with the Coast Guard and Iceland’s National Commissioner of Police’s special forces. (The captain of Bandero was arrested during a joint operation with the Coast Guard and Iceland’s National Commissioner of)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The operation involved a Coast Guard helicopter, the patrol vessel Freyja, and special police units. (The operation involved a Coast Guard helicopter, the patrol vessel Freyja, and special police units.)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Bandero was escorted to Reykjavík’s Sundahöfn harbour. (Bandero was escorted to Reykjavík’s Sundahöfn harbour.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Icelandic Transport Authority revoked Bandero’s seaworthiness certificate. (The Icelandic Transport Authority revoked Bandero’s seaworthiness certificate.)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Icelandic police have requested the deportation of the 21 crew members and a ban on their re‑entry to Iceland. (Icelandic police have requested the deportation of the 21 crew members and a ban on their re‑entry to Iceland.)