Powerboat-World.com Advertising Info Advertising Info

 
News Home Text Only News Features

 


Sail-World.com : Peter Bethune, the Earthrace RTW record holder arrested in Japan

Peter Bethune, the Earthrace RTW record holder arrested in Japan

'Peter Bethune - (Photo: Caroline Gautroni)'    Earthrace Media

New Zealander, Round the World Powerboat record holder and anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune has been arrested in Japan after being held on the whaling vessel he boarded last month. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society member has been charged with trespassing after boarding the Shonan Maru 2 - the ship which collided with the Ady Gil (the 78 feet power trimaran former Earthrace) in the Southern Ocean.

Japanese authorities had a warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody by the Japanese Coast Guard today.

He faces three years in prison if convicted on the charges.

Bethune climbed on board the Shonan Maru 2 from a jet ski before he tried to make a citizens arrest on the captain. Instead, the ships crew took him in to custody and sailed for Japan.

He was being held on suspicion of trespassing onto the ship in Antarctic waters.

The Shonan Maru 2 and the high-tech Ady Gill (formerly Earthrace) collided in February, causing the $4.3 million Ady Gil to sink.

Mr Bethune accused the Shonan Maru's captain of trying to kill his crew following the collision.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said Mr Bethune was the first New Zealander to be 'transported as a prisoner of war to Japan since World War II'.

Before being renamed as the Ady Gil, the bio-diesel powered trimaran circumnavigated the globe in a record 60 days under the name Earthrace.

Watch a split screen of the collison between the two boats here



www.stuff.co.nz




by Stuff.co.nz & Powerboat-World.com

  

Click on the FB Like link to post this story to your FB wall

http://www.powerboat-world.com/index.cfm?nid=67343

4:03 AM Fri 12 Mar 2010 GMT



Click here for printer friendly version
Click here to send us feedback or comments about this story.

 
Our Advertisers are committed to our sport, please support them!
This site and its contents are © Copyright TetraMedia Pty. Ltd and/or the original author, photographer etc. All Rights Reserved.

Photographs are copyright by law. If you wish to use or buy a photograph you must contact the photographer directly (there is a hyperlink in most cases to their website, or do a Google search.) with your request.

Please do not contact Sail-World.com as we cannot give permission for use of other photographer’s images.

Only if the photographer named on the image is Sail-world.com, Powerboat-world.com or Marinebusiness-world.com Contact us .
Ph: +61 2 4977 2116 fax: +61 2 4977 2528 or complete our feedback form    Contact us .
   View our Privacy Policy.    [Go Home]     [  Banner Advertising Specification]    [Bot Archive ]

Customised news feeds -Marine Industry companies, Clubs and Associations have their own customised version of our Sail-World news feed on their website.
Look_here_to_see_examples