The Bandero, a vessel operated by the Paul Watson Foundation, has been seized by the Icelandic Coast Guard after its captain allegedly failed to comply with orders from authorities while operating in Icelandic waters.
The captain was taken into custody just before midnight during a coordinated operation involving the Icelandic Coast Guard and the National Commissioner of Police’s special forces. The Bandero is now being escorted to Reykjavík Harbour.
The Icelandic Coast Guard said the crew aboard the whaling vessel Hvalur 9 contacted authorities on Thursday evening, reporting that they believed their safety was under threat.
Earlier that day, the Paul Watson Foundation claimed the Bandero had collided with Hvalur 9, forcing the whaling vessel to abandon its hunt and return to port. The Coast Guard confirmed that the Bandero had approached Hvalur 9 and attempted to disrupt its passage but did not verify the foundation’s claim that a collision had occurred.
According to the Coast Guard, its operations centre received a report at around 6pm that the Bandero had entered Icelandic territorial waters and was heading towards Hvalur 9. Coast Guard officers instructed the vessel to leave Icelandic waters, but those orders were not followed.