A biodiesel-fueled boat that set the world record for circumnavigating the globe (see my post from June 27, 2008) has been sunk by a vessel accompanying Japanese whaling ships.
According to WCJB World News, the Earthrace (now owned by the environmental organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and renamed the Ady Gil), a 79-foot “batmobile-looking” trimaran, was sunk by Japanese sailors providing security to whalers during a confrontation in Australia’s territorial Antarctic waters:
The six men who on board were unhurt and have been rescued, said founder of the environmental organisation Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson.
Captain Watson said his boat was suddenly hit by the Japanese ship Shonan Maru, as his crew was idling around Commonwealth Bay in the Antarctic. The Shonan Maru was providing security to a fleet of Japanese whaling vessels.
He said that this incident has the consequence of seriously escalating the situation between the Japanese whaling industry and environmentalists.
You can view the video below and decide for yourself who is at fault. But one thing that is not in dispute is that a great biodiesel boat now is at the bottom of the ocean.