A brief announcement from my mail box:

Melbourne based Sea Shepherd ships set to depart for Operation Relentless

Sea Shepherd ships, The Steve Irwin and The Sam Simon will depart Williamstown on Monday 16th December.

The crew of 100 from 24 nations are ready to confront the Japanese whale poachers and halt their planned illegal slaughter of more than a 1,000 whales. The proposed kill includes 935 protected Minke, 50 endangered Fin and 50 Humpback Whales.

We have invited all of our supporters to come down to see the ships and crew head off on this critical mission to defend the great whales of the Southern Ocean.

When: Monday 16th of December. Press Conference at 9am (The Sam Simon will depart at 5:30am and The Steve Irwin at 12pm).

Where: Sea Shepherd Australia Operations Base – Seaworks, 2 Ann Street, Williamstown, Victoria.

Who: Captain Siddharth Chakravarty, Captain Adam Meyerson and Sea Shepherd Australia Managing Director, Jeff Hansen. Others in attendance include Sea Shepherd crew and hundreds of local supporters

For background on Operation Relentless please see the new campaign website:

http://www.seashepherd.org.au/relentless/

(Photo: Sea Shepherd ship, My Steve Irwin)

Read related articles providing more background information on Sea Shepherd’s anti-whaling operations:

• Two Hour Special WHALE WARS: Only One Capt. Risked Life To Save Whales (tvruckus.com)
• Japanese whaling fleet preparing to leave Japan: Sea Shepherd (abc.net.au)
• “Whale Wars” to Return in December with 2-Hour Special (ecorazzi.com)
• Sea Shepherd Australia :: Japanese killing fleet sets sail for the Australian Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. (protectingtheoceans.wordpress.com)
• Sea Shepherd Australia :: Sea Shepherd launches Operation Relentless, its 10th Antarctic whale defence campaign. (orcaavengers.wordpress.com)
• Send customs ship to stop whaling: Greens (news.smh.com.au)
• The Japanese whaling fleet is on the move but Sea Shepherd are relentless (ordernorainbows.wordpress.com)
• Sea Shepherd Needs Help Fighting Japanese Whaling Groups in Court (news.softpedia.com)
• WHALE WARS Returns: Paul Watson Out, Who Will Step Up? (tvruckus.com)