The Icelandic Coast Guard and special forces have captured a ship associated with anti-whaling efforts, founded by activist Paul Watson, and detained its crew.
On Thursday evening, the crew of the whaling ship Hvalur 9 requested help due to safety concerns involving the protest vessel, Bandero. Despite repeated instructions to exit Icelandic waters, the Bandero continued to defy directives from the coast guard, including orders to halt its engines.
Just before midnight on Thursday, the coast guard and the Viking Squad, a police special forces team, boarded the Bandero and arrested the 21-member crew. The vessel arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, by Friday, with police commencing an investigation. The detainees remain aboard without access to their mobile phones.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation has confirmed the seizure of the ship. Icelandic media report that authorities plan to deport the crew and prohibit their return. Iceland, along with Norway and Japan, remains among the few nations still practicing commercial whaling. Iceland sets annual quotas for hunting fin and minke whales, exporting the majority of meat to Japan, despite reduced demand.
The practice of whaling is increasingly debated within Iceland, where whale meat is now infrequently consumed. Originally from Canada, Watson, 75, formerly led the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, known for confrontational tactics against whalers. Celebrity endorsements have bolstered his profile, and his actions have often led to legal troubles. Watson established his own foundation in 2022 after departing Sea Shepherd.
In 2024, Watson was detained in Greenland for charges stemming from a 2010 incident involving a Japanese whaling ship. Released in December, he vowed to avoid legal traps, particularly in regions where Interpol could intervene. Despite a previous red notice by Interpol, he was removed from their most-wanted list in 2025.
Watson’s aggressive strategies have caused divisions within his own movement. Marine companies accuse his followers of jeopardizing safety at sea. Earlier in the year, the Bandero was implicated in an incident with a krill trawler in Antarctica, described by the vessel’s Norwegian owner as a deliberate assault risking environmental harm.
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