No.2yushinmaru

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Activists of antiwhaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on Sunday obstructed Japan's so-called research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean, hurling a rope at a whaling ship and twisting it around the ship's propeller, the Japanese Fisheries Agency said. The activists also threw bottles containing butyric acid and hurled smoke candles at the Yushin Maru No. 2 during the incident which started at 7:20 a.m. and lasted for about two hours, the agency said. The ship slowed down consequently, although none of its crew was injured, according to the agency. The ship counteracted the Sea Shepherd actions by spraying water and issuing warnings, it added. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120213p2g00m0dm001000c.html

The Sea Shepherd ships "Bob Barker" and the "Steve Irwin" are being tailed by the Japanese ships "Yushin Maru No.2" and the "Yushin Maru No.3", distracting them enough to prevent whaling from taking place. Conservation activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society suspect they have prevented Japanese ships from harpooning any whales since they first caught sight of the ships thirteen days ago on New Year's Eve. There have been three ‘close encounters’ between the fleets to date: on Jan 1, 2011, Jan 5 and Jan 9. The most recent was a retaliation from the Sea Shepherd on the ´"Yushin Maru No.2" to throw the Japanese off the tail of the "Bob Barker".