Norwegian krill harvesting company Aker Qrill has confirmed that one of its vessels suffered damage after being deliberately rammed by another vessel operated by attention-seeking environmental activists from the Paul Watson Foundation and Sea Shepherd France.
Aker Qrill said that, on the afternoon (local time) of Tuesday, March 31, the activist vessel Bandero deliberately collided into the stern port side of the harvesting vessel Antarctic Sea while the latter was operating off Antarctica.
Antarctic Sea had previously attempted to destroy the trawl gear of a second company vessel by deploying grappling hooks into the fishing gear. Both actions were recorded on video.
The point of impact was directly above a diesel fuel tank.
Aker Qrill said Antarctic Sea was operating many days away from the nearest port or rescue capability. The crew was not injured but was put in danger in these waters, where margins matter.
"If the activists had succeeded in disabling any of the vessels’ manoeuvrability, people and the environment would have been at risk due to the approaching severe weather," Aker Qrill said in a statement.
“This is the result of a campaign built on claims that are not supported by any scientific picture, and on a self-defined sense of justice," said Aker Qrill CEO Webjørn Barstad. "But there is also a broader ecosystem at play, voices that amplify and reinforce these narratives. When a science-based, internationally governed fishery is consistently misrepresented, it creates a climate where confrontation begins to replace dialogue."
Aker Qrill said it operates under the oversight of CCAMLR, the 27-nation body that governs Antarctic fisheries. The fishery carries independent observers, operates within particularly precautionary catch limits, holds MSC certification, and is generally considered among the most sustainable fisheries on the planet.
Aker Qrill added that ramming a vessel in international waters is a criminal act, and that it is in contact with the relevant authorities and will pursue all available legal channels.
"We believe all actors engaged in Antarctic issues have a shared responsibility to support law and science-based processes and to be clear in distancing themselves from actions that undermine them," the company said.