Iceland Detains Anti-Whaling Activists and Seizes Ship

Icelandic authorities have detained the crew of a ship operated by an anti-whaling group founded by Paul Watson, a prominent activist, according to officials from the island nation. The vessel, referred to as Bandero, was seized by Icelandic coast guards last Thursday night, following concerns from Hvalur 9, a whaling ship’s crew, over safety threats.

The Icelandic Coast Guard indicated that the Bandero failed to comply with directives to vacate Icelandic waters and subsequently ignored orders to halt its engines. In response, Coast Guard personnel and the police’s elite Viking Squad boarded the vessel around midnight, detaining its 21 crew members, who were held without access to their phones.

A statement from the Captain Paul Watson Foundation confirmed the seizure, noting Watson himself was not on board. The detained ship arrived in Reykjavik, the Icelandic capital, on Friday, where police have taken over the investigation. Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported that authorities plan to deport the crew and enforce a ban preventing their return to Iceland.

“I have to make sure that I don’t land in Iceland or another country where Interpol might try to have me arrested,” Watson stated post his release in 2024.

Iceland remains among the few nations still practicing commercial whaling, alongside Norway and Japan. While Iceland establishes annual quotas for fin and minke whales, much of its whale meat finds export markets in Japan, where demand has declined following Japan’s 2019 exit from the International Whaling Commission and resumption of commercial whaling.

Paul Watson, aged 75 and of Canadian origin, previously led the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, known for high-profile confrontations with whaling fleets. These efforts attracted celebrity endorsements and were showcased in the reality TV series “Whale Wars,” with Watson facing legal troubles frequently. He departed from Sea Shepherd in 2022 to initiate his own foundation.

In earlier incidents, Watson was jailed in Greenland in 2024 post-arrest on Japanese charges concerning obstruction of a whaling ship in 2010. Interpol issued a “red notice” against him in 2012, removing it only in 2025. Watson’s methods have sparked debate within the conservation community, with marine firms expressing concerns about activist actions jeopardizing both vessel safety and lives.

Earlier this year, another confrontation arose when Bandero collided with a krill trawler in Antarctic waters. The trawler’s Norwegian owner described this clash as intentional, posing risks to both crew safety and potential environmental repercussions.