The FPV
Westra and
Robert Hunter and
Kaiko Maru collided with each other. One Japanese official accused the Sea Shepherd organisation of behaving "like pirates".
Robert Hunter sustained a 3-foot gash in the hull above the waterline at the stern of the ship.
Steve Irwin has also participated in "Operation Migaloo" (named after
Migaloo, the
albino humpback whale) that started in November 2007, and after repairs were completed in
Launceston and a brief stop over in
Melbourne, she was scheduled to depart for the
Antarctic on December 1, 2007.
2008 On January 15, 2008, after throwing packages of butyric acid onto the decks and attempting to entangle a hunting ship's propeller, two Sea Shepherd members boarded the Japanese whaling vessel
Yūshin Maru No. 2.
Paul Watson stated that it was his intention to create an international incident through the boarding and expected detainment. They later stated that their intent had been to present a protest note to its captain. Benjamin Potts, a 28-year-old cook from
Sydney, Australia, and Giles Lane, a 35-year-old engineer from
Leeds,
United Kingdom, were detained by crew of
Yūshin Maru No. 2. Docklands,
UK 2011 Sea Shepherd claimed that the two had been kidnapped and tied to the radar mast for several hours with ropes and
zip ties. Potts and Lane, however, later stated that they were tied for only fifteen minutes to the side of the ship and a couple of minutes to the radio mast before being taken below deck.
Glenn Inwood, a spokesperson for the whalers from the
Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), said that the activists were being held in an unlocked office, but were being guarded. In another statement, they stated that the action of boarding their vehicle was illegal and that the men were being held pending decisions on their future. On January 16 the ICR issued a statement claiming that the protesters had thrown canisters of acid on board the ship and attempted to damage property. They also denied claims that the men had been assaulted and tied to the ship's mast.
Hideki Moronuki further stated that "The ICR (Institute of Cetacean Research) is ready to release the two Conservationists provided that full security can be secured for our research vessel. Sea Shepherd is a very violent organisation." In a letter faxed to
Steve Irwin, the ICR stated that part of the handover conditions include that Sea Shepherd "must not take any violent action or video/photo shooting activities against us." The acid in question was, according to Sea Shepherd, butyric acid, which was used not to damage the ship itself but to render the work-deck unusable due to its foul and long-lasting smell. On January 17, the Australian customs ship started preparation to transfer the two men held on the whaling vessel. On the morning of January 18, the two men were safely transferred to the . After an investigation by the
Australian Federal Police, no criminal action was taken against the conservationists. Both sides accused the other of terrorism during the incident. The ICR called the butyric acid attack on
Yūshin Maru No. 2 an "inhumane terrorist attack" and called on the Australian Government to seize the
Steve Irwin. Conversely,
Steve Irwin 1st Officer Peter Brown stated that "the Institute of Cetacean Research is acting like a terrorist organisation [...] Here they are taking hostages and making demands. Our policy is that we don't respond to terrorist demands." Following the March 3 clashes between Sea Shepherd members aboard
Steve Irwin and Japanese whalers, the Dutch government announced that it was investigating the incident as the vessel sails under the Dutch flag.
2009 On February 6,
Steve Irwin collided with the vessel
Yūshin Maru No. 2 () and later with the vessel
Yūshin Maru No. 3 () while they were whaling in the Southern Ocean. The Japanese-based
Institute of Cetacean Research claimed that MY
Steve Irwin deliberately turned into the stern side of the vessel
Yūshin Maru No. 3 to ram her. Video footage of the incident was later released by the institute showing the incident.
Steve Irwins operator Paul Watson denied the ramming, saying "They weren't rammed, two vessels collided—the
Yushin Maru 3 and the
Steve Irwin when they shot in front of us to transfer whale." For the next year, the ship was drydocked in Brisbane while repairs to the hull and other alterations could be made. Included in these renovations was the installation of
Steve Irwins own water cannon for use in campaigns. After three days, a suspected Japanese-chartered aircraft located the
Steve Irwin en route to the Southern Ocean and instructed the to observe the movements of the vessel. Heavy swells barred the Delta from reaching the vessel, and, upon arrival, a Japanese
LRAD was used against the helicopter which forced it to stand down. For the next two weeks,
Shōnan Maru 2 continued to observe
Steve Irwin, despite continued attempts by the ship to lose the tail. Ultimately,
Steve Irwin returned to Australia, where
Shōnan Maru was unable to track her due to a heavy storm, in addition to legal complications.
2010 In January 2010, the ship continued to hunt for the Japanese fleet. After the loss of in a collision with
Shonan Maru No.2,
Steve Irwin met up with , with which she exchanged fuel, supplies, and crew. The ship then returned to
Fremantle to restock, departing on January 30. In the meantime,
Bob Barker had located the factory ship,
Nisshin Maru, and was tailing the ship. On February 8,
Steve Irwin joined
Bob Barker in pursuit of
Nisshin Maru. Once the two Sea Shepherd vessels had linked up,
Steve Irwin took up position behind
Nisshin Maru to obstruct the factory ships slipway and engaged her with water cannon. On February 15,
Pete Bethune departed from
Steve Irwin on a
jet ski, boarding
Shōnan Maru 2. He was subsequently detained and later arrested by the
Japan Coast Guard for trespassing. The two ships remained behind the whaler until
Steve Irwin was forced to return to Australia on February 18, arriving in Hobart on March 6.
2011 In late February 2011, during Operation No Compromise,
Steve Irwin was contacted by the
Royal New Zealand Navy to take part in the search for
Berserk, a polar exploration vessel owned by renowned explorer
Jarle Andhøy, which had activated her emergency transponder near
McMurdo Sound during a storm. The search was eventually called off after
Steve Irwin found an empty life raft, which was later confirmed to have been from
Berserk. The three people on board are presumed dead.
Steve Irwin began patrolling the territorial waters of
Libya in June 2011 in an effort to spot unauthorised bluefin tuna fishing boats and cut their fishing nets. She was met with attempts by some fishermen to incapacitate it, to which it responded with water hoses and stink bombs. On July 15, 2011 the ship was held by the British Government due to a pending lawsuit by a Maltese fishing company. The ship was released on August 2, 2011 after a bond of
£520,000 was posted. , the ship was docked in the South Quay of West India Dock, London. In December,
Steve Irwin joined
Bob Barker and
Brigitte Bardot in locating and pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet, which had passed by off the western Australian coast, on the way to the Southern Ocean for whaling operations. A drone surveillance aircraft launched from
Steve Irwin located the whaling fleet some 500 miles off the southwest coast of Australia on December 24. After chasing the fleet for four days,
Steve Irwin had to break off and escort
Brigitte Bardot back to Fremantle, after
Brigitte Bardot was damaged by a
rogue wave.
2012 On January 5
Steve Irwin arrived in
Fremantle Harbour escorting the severely damaged
Brigitte Bardot from the Southern Ocean, monitored by the Japanese whaling ship
Shōnan Maru 2. While in port,
Steve Irwin defied an order by the Fremantle
harbourmaster to lower her
Jolly Roger-styled flag after docking in Fremantle. After departing the port, a team from environmentalist group "Forest Rescue Australia" approached and illegally boarded the security ship
Shōnan Maru 2, climbing over spikes and
razor wire in
international waters off the coast of
Bunbury, Western Australia with the assistance of small boat crews from the
Steve Irwin. While Japan agreed to release the activists, the Australian Prime Minister
Julia Gillard slammed the action as "unacceptable" and warned that others who carry out similar protests would be "charged and convicted".
2013 On February 20,
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society founder Paul Watson claimed the Japanese whaling ship
Nisshin Maru rammed
Steve Irwin, and
Bob Barker multiple times in a confrontation in the Southern Ocean, north of Australia's Casey Research Station in Antarctica.
2018 On December 2, 2018, Sea Shepherd announced that the ship will be retired, stripped and recycled in China, and the will be taking its spot as the flagship vessel of the fleet.
2019 Following news of the ship's possible scrapping, the ship was saved by Kerrie Goodall, founder of the Ship4Good Philanthropic Organization, successfully leading the "Save the Steve" campaign. The
Steve Irwin was moored in
Williamstown, Victoria, with possible uses and future location of the ship being discussed. The 'Steve' is recognised as a historic ship by the Australian Maritime Museum. Currently there is a basic Sea Shepherd Museum, bar, cafe, ship tours, weekend and monthly events
2022 The vessel is temporarily in
Newcastle Harbour for repairs and plans to eventually head north to Brisbane.
2024 The main engines of the Steve Irwin were restarted for the first time in 5 years. And a team began working on the vessel to get her back to sea, to work in another activist role towards ocean and wildlife conservation. ==See also==