THUNDER CAPTAIN SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON AND FINED 15 MILLION EUROS

Christa Carew shared Paul Watson's post to the group: SEA SHEPHERD SUPPORTERS UNITED. via Facebook.com

5 hrs · 

Paul Watson added 5 new photos.

5 hrs · Paris, France · 

THUNDER CAPTAIN SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS IN PRISON AND FINED 15 MILLION EUROS.

The captain and two engineer on the Norwegian-built pirate trawler "Thunder" weretoday sentenced by the Sao Tome and Principe Court.

On April 6th this year the outlaw toothfish poacher THUNDER was scuttled by her Chilean captain in the waters of the small island state of Sao Tome and Principe in West Africa. It put an end to the career of the world's most notorious toothfish poacher. The scuttling followed a 110-day pursuit by the Sea Shepherd ships BOB BARKER and SAM SIMON. It was the longest pursuit of a poaching vessel in Maritime history, from the coast of Antarctic south of India, to the equator off West Africa.

After the scuttling, the SAM SIMON rescued 42 officers and crew and turned them over to the Sao Tome Coast Guard. The crew, mainly Indonesians and suspected to be virtual slaves were returned home and the three officers were held pending their trial earlier this month. They were held on charges of pollution and forgery.

At the trial held earlier this month, Sea Shepherd captains Peter Hammarstedt from Sweden and Sid Chakravarty from India along with Sea Shepherd photographer Simon Ager testified against the three officers and provided evidence that the ship was fishing illegally, and that the officers had intentionally scuttled the ship in Sao Tome Principe waters.

Today the Judge delivered the verdict. - all three defendants were found guilty. The captain was sentenced to three years in prison, the chief engineer was sentence to two years and nine months in prison and another engineer to two years and eight months in prison.

Sea Shepherd is very pleased with the verdict which also contains a huge compensation claim.

All three defendants were ordered to pay 15 million euros in compensation to the state of Sao Tome and Principe as compensation for pollution and environmental damage. They have 15-day deadline to appeal the ruling. If they do not pay the compensation within 30 days, they will be transferred to a prison in Sao Tome.

The question is, will the Spanish company that owned the THUNDER pay the fines? Most likely not?

The notorious THUNDER was built in Ulsteinvik in Norway in 1969 and since 2006 had been blacklisted for illegal fishing.

On December 17th Captain Peter Hammarstedt and his crew on the BOB BARKER found the THUNDER off the Banzare Bank of Antarcitca in the Australian Antarctic Territory. It was the start of what would become world history longest ever pursuit at sea. As the BOB BARKER began the chase, the SAM SIMON confiscated 72 kilometres of the net abandoned by the THUNDER.

For nearly four months the BOB BARKER pursued the THUNDER" until April 6th when Chilean Captain Luis Alfonso Rubio Cataldo deliberately scuttled his own ship in the Gulf of Guinea, approximately 250 kilometers from the African mainland. Having failed to escape the pursuit and with nowhere to go the captain decided to destroy the evidence and sank his own ship.

But before the THUNDER disappeared below the surface three Sea Shepherd activists including Simon Ager boarded the sinking trawler to secure evidence of illegal fishing and evidence of the deliberate scuttling of the vessel. What they saw convinced them that the trawler was sunk intentionally. All the bulkheads and doors were tied and locked wide open. The captain’s defense was that the THUNDER sank after a collision with a cargo ship but the crews of the SAM SIMON and BOB BARKER had the THUNDER under observation at all times and did not see any cargo ship. The court found the captain’s story to be without credibility.

Also convicted were chief engineer Agustin Dosil Rey (46) from Galicia in Spain and second engineer Luis Miguel Perez Fernandez (43), also from Galicia.

The court established that the THUNDER was sailing under a false flag and with false documents when it sank.

Last week in Chile, United States Secretary of State John Kerry cited the pursuit of the THUNDER and acknowledged Sea Shepherd’s role in bringing the poachers to justice.

"The search for Thunder showed huge seas are unregulated and that there are unscrupulous people who hunt money in these areas” added Kerry as reported in the New York Times.

Photos: By Simon Ager. The THUNDER going under - scuttled in 3000 meters of water. Ship sunk, 72 kilometers of gill net seized, Officers jailed.15 million Euros in fines. Sea Shepherd's Operation Icefish was 100% successful.

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

I must post the appeal numerous times with the hope that it will reach all Sea Shepherd supporters.

Captain Paul Watson via Facebook.com

16 hrs · 

4.5k Likes875 Comments1.6k Shares

This Guy Needs to be Stopped!

Sea Shepherd Needs Your Support To Defend the Dolphins

An Appeal from Captain Paul Watson

The response to our appeal to replace the boats stolen from us by the Danish Navy and the Danish Police has been very encouraging.

We have raised some 55,000 Euros and almost 30% of our goal in the last four days which is very good despite the fact that Facebook restricts the number of people that can be reached with each posting which is the reason that I must post the appeal numerous times with the hope that it will reach all Sea Shepherd supporters.

And if every person who supports Sea Shepherd on our pages donates something we will reach our goal and we will replace our boats and demonstrate that we have the support to continue our opposition to the brutal and archaic slaughter of Pilot whales and dolphins in the Danish Faroe Islands.

So far we have had 1,685 people contribute to this appeal. Imagine what we could achieve if everyone who cares about defending the lives of the dolphins gave even just a small donation.

At this very moment, Sea Shepherd has volunteer crews on three ships in Faroese waters. We have volunteers on the ground in Taiji, Japan defending dolphins. We have volunteers on the ground in Northern Scotland defending seals. We have volunteers on the ground in Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, Cape Verde and Florida defending turtles. We are preparing a vessel to return to defend the endangered Vaquita in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez.

If you support the efforts of these hundreds of volunteers who are engaged in actively saving the lives of so many citizens of the sea, please consider making a donation to this appeal.

The funds raised will go directly towards replacing and recovering our four boats.

https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/…/sos-emergency-patrol-ap…

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

They viciously slaughtered 110 whales and now they want to take between 100 and 200 more.

Captain Paul Watson 2 hrs ·  SHARED VIA FACEBOOK.COM Update From the Faroes 1705 Hours (Faroes Time) The Grind on the island of Vagur at Borg Beach is underway. On this same beach on June 10th they viciously slaughtered 110 whales and now they want to take between 100 and 200 more. It does not look like the whales can escape. The BRIGITTE BARDOT has been stopped by the Danish Navy.Two Sea Shepherd crew from the BARDOT have been arrested by the Danish Navy. All the courage and determination in the world cannot overcome the power of a Naval Frigate and an armed patrol ship. The police are on the beaches protecting the armed mob of whale killers from any acts of kindness that might occur. What is about to happen in a few minutes is a disgrace to humanity, to the Faroe Islands and to the nation of Denmark and every Danish citizen. It is a disgrace to Europe and is a blatant violation of European Union law. Within minutes the screams of the whales will pierce the air, the shouts of sadistic joy from the killers will attempt to drown them out. The knives will stab, the lances will penetrate innocent flesh and the entire families of whales will be extinguished in pools of hot blood as calves die alongside their mothers and mothers watch in horror as their children are mutilated in a human orgy of slaughter. Is this what you are all about CREDIT:YOUTUBE.COM Denmark. Is this the image you wish to present to the world. The red on your flag represents the blood of innocent, self aware, intelligent sentient beings. And they are dying for what? The Faroese do not need to eat their flesh. They are dying in the name of archaic traditions that no longer have any place in the 21st Century, they are dying so that the men of the Faroe Islands can validate their existence in a circus of cruelty and sadistic pleasure.

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

CAPTAIN PAUL WATSON UPDATE: Day 70 of Operation Icefish.

Captain Paul Watson added 4 new photos.

UPDATE: Day 70 of Operation Icefish. Ten weeks at sea.

Last night, the poaching vessel, Thunder, discharged incinerated plastic into the ocean, in contravention of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

MARPOL prohibits disposing incinerator ashes from plastic products into the sea, as they may contain toxic or heavy metal residues....

See More

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Captain Paul Watson_57 Days of Thunder and the Chase Continues

57 Days of Thunder 

and the Chase Continues

By:

Captain Paul Watson

shared via FACEBOOK.COM

The “Bob Barker” has been in pursuit of the Nigerian-flagged, Spanish-owned toothfish poacher “Thunder” now for 57 days.

The pursuit which began on December 16th last year on the Banzare Bank off the coast of Antarctica is now 900 nautical miles south of Madagascar and going no where as the “Thunder” attempts to wait out the “Bob Barker.”

With the Sea Shepherd ship and crew tailing them, the “Thunder” cannot sneak quietly into any port to avoid being detained for illegal fishing. The “Thunder” is listed on the Interpol Purple List.

Sea Shepherd is confident that the “Bob Barker” will be able to wait out the “Thunder”.

It is a siege now in it’s 57th day. How long will it last? There is no way to say but the “Bob Barker” carries more fuel and food than the “Thunder” and the Sea Shepherd crew are motivated whereas the “Thunder” crew have lost their profits for the season and they have lost their nets plus they are facing arrest and possible confiscation of their ship should it enter any port where the Sea Shepherd can notify the authorities of their arrival.

The “Sam Simon” has 72 kilometres of gill net confiscated from the “Thunder”.

The chase is focusing attention on the Spanish owners of the “Thunder” and the other toothfish poachers. It is focusing attention on the fact that these poachers receive subsidies from the European Union. It is focusing attention on the fact that although these poachers are listed as wanted by Interpol, the nations of the world are showing very little interest in actually stopping them.

Sea Shepherd is doing the job of the world’s governments without any tax dollars to back us up. It is the support of compassionate and concerned people around the world that is making these campaigns both possible and successful.

The TRUTH will set you FREE.