Sea Shepherd Heads for Seal Hunt
Seascape
Sea Shepherd News
3/5/2004
Sea Shepherd Heads for the Seal Hunt
After four days of delays caused by the Canadian Department of
Transport, our ship the Farley Mowat departed Halifax on March 4th.
Farley Mowat Departing from the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia 1730
Hours March 4th, 2005
The ship was issued an International Oil Pollution Certificate and was
given clearance to proceed. This was made possible by the efforts
made by our volunteer crew and our staff.
On board the Farley Mowat, Bosun Adrian Haley and Chief Engineer
Charles Hutchings worked around the clock to construct a waste oil
containment box with an electrical pump system. This had not been a
requirement prior to our arrival in Halifax.
Ships sailing Master Jack Gallagher made the rounds of Transport
Canada, ship inspectors, and assorted agencies to obtain the paperwork
demanded by the government of Canada. Fortunately for us, Jack is a
native of Halifax and knew his way around.
In Los Angles, our staff lawyer Tim Midgley worked on getting new
insurance policies and fielding calls from bureaucrats and experts.
In Nanaimo, British Columbia, Sea Shepherd Advisory Board member and
marine attorney Basil Hobbs worked the phones and reminded Canadian
officials that we had requested the demanded documents many times and
each time we were told the documents were not issued to a vessel
registered as a yacht.
Our staff in Friday Harbor and in Los Angles delivered documents and
information, searched files, and made inquiries.
On board, 1st Mate Alex Cornelissen and our international crew of
volunteers patiently waited and worked on onboard painting and
maintenance projects as the wheels of bureaucracy turned.
The Canadian media attempted to put the spin on the story that the
Farley Mowat was cited for pollution when the issue was simply one of
requirements for documentation. The Farley Mowat has a perfect record
of safety and pollution prevention.
The good news is that we expected the approval process for the
documentation to take weeks. We managed to satisfy all the new demands
within four days.
Farley Mowat Departing from the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia 1730
Hours March 4th, 2005 Today the ship is moving through the Cabot
Strait and heading towards the seal nursery where the last of the
birthings are taking place.
There are 30 crew onboard the Farley Mowat from 10 nations. These
volunteers are from Canada, U.S.A., U.K., France, Germany,
Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Bermuda, and Ecuador.
Television star Richard Dean Anderson will join the ship on March 6th.
Richard is one of the four directors on the board of Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society.
Richard Dean Anderson and Captain Paul Watson will hold a media
conference in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on March 7th.