RV Farley Mowat

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Farley Mowat at Docklands, Melbourne, Australia

The R/V Farley Mowat is the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's fleet, and is a long-range, ice-class, heavy-duty conservation ship. Originally built as a Norwegian fisheries research and enforcement vessel, she was purchased by the Sea Shepherds in Edinburgh, Scotland, in August 1996. The ship is named after Canadian writer Farley Mowat.

1 Registration problems
2 Career
3 Recent history
4 Pictures
5 In popular culture
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Registration problems

A painted hit list on the hull of the R/V Farley Mowat lists ten ships that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society claims to have sunk.

During 2007 the ship operated without an officially recognised registration flag.

The Farley Mowat cleared Australian Customs in Hobart, Tasmania, on December 29, 2006, only hours before the nation of Belize struck its flag. The Belize registry had only been issued ten days before on December 19, 2006

The Belize registry was sought after the UK revoked the registration in early December 2006 the same day it was issued. In October, the Farley Mowat, registered under the Canadian flag since April 2002, had her registry suspended by Canada. In May 2007 Sea Shepherd issued a press release ^[1] indicating that the Mohawk long house of the Iroquois Confederacy, in response to the Canadian government action, had agreed to the ship (and Sea Shepherd's other ship the Robert Hunter) flying their flag. This was also reported on CBC Radio programme "As It Happens"^[2]. It was not clear if this "registration" by a body not internationally recognised as a country was accepted by port authorities, in any case the vessel is as of 2008 registered in the Netherlands^[3]

[edit] Career

The R/V Farley Mowat officially began her career in the waters off Costa Rica, immersed in controversy over policing actions against illegal fishing activities.

The Society uses the vessel to monitor international waters for violations of international fisheries agreements.

Length

54 meters

Displacement

657 tons

Power

1400 horsepower

Propulsion

Variable pitch propeller encased in a Kort nozzle

Launched

1956

Names

1956	Norwegian research vessel
1996	Sea Shepherd III
1999	Ocean Warrior
2002	RV Farley Mowat

[edit] Recent history

In March and April 2008, the Farley Mowat is involved in controversy related to the 2008 Canadian commercial seal hunt. On April 12, 2008, Fisheries and Oceans Canada seized the R/V Farley Mowat in the Cabot Strait after the ship came near the seal hunt without an observation permit and two collisions with a coast guard vessel occurred.^[4]^[5] During the raid, the captain and first officer were arrested and were later charged for this incident ^[6] ^[7]. Currently, the Farley Mowat is being held by Fisheries and Oceans Canada until a court orders the release ^[3]. The boat was taken in international waters by order of Loyola Hearn, the Fisheries Minister. The boat has been seized since April 12 2008 and the Sea Shepherd Organization is billing the Canadian Government $1000 for every day the boat has been seized. In the opinion of the organization this boat has been seized unlawfully.

[edit] Pictures

Photos taken on board the Farley Mowat during her stay in Melbourne, Australia in 2006.

Control Room, Sea Shepherd, Farley Mowat	Antarctica Map, Sea Shepherd, Farley Mowat	Cannon, Sea Shepherd, Farley Mowat	Jetskis, Sea Shepherd, Farley Mowat
Crew, Sea Shepherd, Farley Mowat	Note the creature in the glass dome. It was given by the Dali Lama, Sea Shepherd, Farley Mowat	Educational tour about Sea Shepherd's vision - to protect the whales	Helicopter landing pad, Sea Shepherd, Farley Mowat