Boat damaged in anti-whaling protest

The boat's six crew members were safely rescued after being sprayed

with water during the incident.

The clash was apparently the most serious in the past several years, during which the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has sent vessels

into far southern waters to try to harass the Japanese fleet into ceasing its annual whale cull.

The Society said its boat Ady Gil – a speedboat that resembles a stealth bomber – was hit by the Japanese ship the Shonan Maru and had its bow sheared off.

'The condition of the Ady Gil now is that it is inoperable and the crew of the Ady Gil has been transferred to our other vessel, the Bob Barker,' said Locky Maclean, the first mate of the Society's lead ship.

The Ady Gil's captain had stayed on board to try to save vital equipment, he added.

Japan's Fisheries Agency, which has no direct involvement in whaling, last night, said it was still checking details.

'We have confirmed that there was a collision, but we have no other details. We have not heard that any boats have sank. We are now trying to confirm details of why the collision occurred,' said a spokesman.