“Violent harassment can lead to tragic consequences for the crew of the vessels as well as others involved, which is, regardless of the context, not acceptable,” the statement added. “We are hoping to discuss with relevant countries what measures should be taken to prevent this from happening.”
There have been a number of clashes between Sea Shepherd and the whalers in the Southern Ocean over the past several years.
In January 2010, the Japanese security vessel Shonan Maru 2 collided with a Sea Shepherd–affiliated ship, the Ady Gil, slicing off the nose of that ship, which sank hours later.
Maritime New Zealand, a government safety agency, said the captains of both ships were to blame for the incident.
Sea Shepherd, meanwhile, has been accused of engaging in dangerous practices while trying to stop Japanese ships from killing whales.
Sea Shepherd last year agreed to pay $2.6 million to Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research as part of a settlement to resolve a long-standing legal battle over the anti-whaling group’s tactics, which include throwing smoke bombs at Japanese whaling ships and using metal-reinforced ropes to damage propellers and rudders.