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THE THIRD SHIP

THE COAST OF CENTRAL AFRICA, MARCH 2015

Shipmaster Steve Paku on the Atlas Cove worked out that the trip from the shipyard in Raudeberg on the west coast of Norway to Port Louis in Mauritius would take 28 days.

The 68-metre-long Atlas Cove was the most recent new acquisition of Austral Fisheries’ fleet of toothfish vessels. For four months the ship had undergone extensive rebuilding to equip it fully for the upcoming longline fishing expedition in the Antarctic. When the shiny, freshly painted vessel reaches the coast of Portugal, the shipmaster receives a phone call from Director David Carter of Austral Fisheries.1

Carter tells him about the chase currently taking place off the coast of Central Africa. The Atlas Cove is already running late for the summer season in the Southern Ocean, and now Carter asks the shipmaster to make a detour to join the chase for the Thunder.

“Oh shit,” the Atlas Cove’s captain Steve Paku replies.

“Sea Shepherd is doing the job that we and the authorities should have done. But I know what you’re thinking,” Carter says.

After his initial hesitant objections, Paku goes along with changing course. He has had a run in with the Thunder himself in the Southern Ocean.

“And don’t do anything stupid,” Carter concludes.

Austral Fisheries’ Japanese part-owners were shocked and terrified about what would happen if they were to form any kind of collaboration whatsoever with the environmental organization that terrorized the country’s own whaling fleet. But Carter stuck to his guns and assured them it would have a positive public relations effect.

Like the majority of the stakeholders in the toothfish industry, Carter also knew that his own shipmasters were sceptical of people who lived on vegetables and soybeans. But now it was about business.

The illegal fishing also gave toothfish a bad name. Buyers long believed the fish to be in danger of extinction. For a period of time in Australia, convincing restaurant patrons to order toothfish was paramount to requesting they consume panda bear cubs.

“What the devil is this?”

As the oceanic space is filled with light, Juan Manuel Patiño Lampon sees a movement on the radar.

It is eight o’clock in the morning on 25 March. The Thunder’s fishing captain has just turned up for the morning shift. He is wearing his glasses with the thin steel frames, and around his left wrist hangs a silver chain. As usual, he is wearing his watch on his right wrist.

The ship that has suddenly become visible on the radar is located 3 nautical miles away. It is coming from the north and is on a collision course. On board the Thunder the sight of any vessel, either on the radar or visually, provokes a testy uneasiness among the officers.

There have been enough trials in the past 24 hours. The Sam Simon arrived from Mauritius; throughout the entire previous day dinghies transported supplies to the Bob Barker – the first in 112 days.

Lampon feared that they would also receive more fuel and prepared to navigate the Thunder in between to obstruct the operation. But all he saw were crates of fruit and vegetables being winched on board the Bob Barker.

Now both the Sea Shepherd ships are behind him. He also sees a third ship on the radar. Juan Manuel Patiño Lampon calms himself by deciding that ship is probably headed for a fishing bank.

“The idea is for the Atlas Cove to swing in, take up position on the starboard quarter and then we will have three ships in formation following the Thunder.”

At the morning meeting on the Bob Barker Hammarstedt tells the crew about the fishing boat that is on its way to join the chase. Radio silence between the ships has been ordered so the Thunder won’t become suspicious about what is about to take place. The Atlas Cove is already on the radar and will be with them in half an hour. Then it won’t be only two ships, but two worlds that meet. Hammarstedt wants the crew to go on deck and wave the Atlas Cove welcome, but he doesn’t want to force anyone. A number of the activists on board are against fishing, whether it be illegal or legal.

“We are not out to stop the fishing of toothfish, but the illegal fishing. We have been waiting for the authorities for 100 days without any response. We need all the allies we can find. Now we will have the support of the fishermen. Who are we not to accept that?” Hammarstedt says. Nobody objects.

As the Atlas Cove approaches the Bob Barker’s stern, the mate veers the ship suddenly up towards the Thunder. The entire crew of the Bob Barker is lined up on the bridge.

“It’s good to be looking at a vessel that isn’t the Thunder,” Hammarstedt says over the radio.

“It’s just one mammoth effort there, Peter. I’ve seen this vessel around Heard Island … Be a good eight years ago,” Steve Paku, the shipmaster of the Atlas Cove, says.

“We’re just hoping to knock them out one by one,” Hammarstedt says.

Then he orders the ships into formation and asks them to stay a quarter of a nautical mile behind the Thunder. Once again he has raised the Dutch flag.

“It must be a terrible day for them to see you resupplied yesterday and three ships this morning,” Siddharth Chakravarty says on the radio from the Sam Simon.

On the Atlas Cove, the engineer has taken control of the radio and calls up the Thunder. In his hand he has a memo written by Steve Paku on the way down from Portugal. He now reads it in Spanish:

“Fishing vessel Thunder, good morning. I speak in the name of my captain. This is marine fishing vessel Atlas Cove. This ship is a member of COLTO, Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators. We have set position along Sea Shepherd ships Bob Barker and Sam Simon in support of their actions to stop all illegal fishing operations. Your ship is part of the ones that keeps fishing illegally. Both governments and NGOs are determined to stop this illegal activity. These people behind you won’t let you go passively. Their reputation speaks for them, and you, sir, are their target. They won’t stop until you stop, so do yourself a favour, go home and stay there. If you want to keep fishing in the Southern Ocean, do it through the right channels like everyone else does, and become a responsible person, a responsible and legal operator. And most important, you help yourself being a responsible person, a responsible human being. We have to take care of the little that is left in the seas, because if we don’t there will be nothing left for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Over.”

Captain Cataldo is not in the mood to listen to a cautionary tale about love for nature and children. As the Atlas Cove approached, he was summoned up onto the bridge. He is tired and under the weather; the chase has begun to take its toll on his strength. During the past few weeks he has not been especially talkative, but now he picks up the phone and calls Spain. The numbers of the owner and his two closest colleagues are written down on a yellow Post-it hanging on the wall of the navigation room.

“Now there are bloody well three of them!” he shouts over the phone.

According to one of the officers on the bridge, Cataldo then receives an order to run into one of the ships pursuing him. Throughout the entire chase Cataldo has bragged about how he is a better captain and shipmaster than Hammarstedt.

“We’re going to put about now,” he says after having finished the call to Spain.

Abruptly he puts the vessel hard about starboard and towards the Atlas Cove.

“The Thunder is turning, just got to get on the helm here, Steve,” Hammarstedt warns over the radio.

A black cloud of smoke shoots up out of the Atlas Cove’s stack as the ship picks up speed to escape the Thunder’s sudden attack. The Sam Simon and the Bob Barker must also navigate out of the formation to avoid being hit.

“Hey Steve, they are a bit unpredictable. Don’t take it personally,” Hammarstedt says.

When Cataldo finally speaks up over the radio, he is clearly upset.

“Here Thunder is sailing in international waters with the Nigerian flag. What is the problem with the three ships?” he asks.

“Yes, yes, what is the problem? It is three ships already, three ships. The Sam Simon, Bob Barker and Atlas Cove. What is the problem? We are sailing in international waters, in international waters with the Nigerian flag, what is the problem? Over.”

“The problem is that you are fishing illegally, like our colleague said, and we are trying to stop you. Over,” the Sam Simon answers.

“Negative, negative. We are not fishing, we are sailing. You are going to cause an accident and there are people here, and you have people in your ships, too. You have to be careful and keep a safe distance, over.”

“If you keep changing course like you are doing, maybe you will cause a collision, otherwise there will not be any accident. Over,” the Sam Simon replies.

One of Sea Shepherd’s dinghies is positioned in front of the bow of the Thunder, ready to film the altercation. Hammarstedt does not yet know whether he will publicize the story of the meeting with the three ships, out of fear of the reaction of Sea Shepherd supporters who oppose fishing.

“And your small boat should not cross our bow anymore. That is dangerous. It might make us nervous, and when someone is nervous, he can cause an accident. Over,” Cataldo says.

“Don’t worry about the small boat, it is not going to cause any accident, it keeps staying away from you. Over.”

“Say to the captain of the Bob Barker, the captain of the Sam Simon and the captain of the Atlas Cove that I am not afraid of them. I am not afraid of them. If they want to ram me, ram me. If they want to sink me, sink me. But I will keep on with the orders that I have, to sail in international waters. I am not afraid of you. Over.”

“Understood, but while you keep sailing in international waters, since we are not afraid of you either, we will stay with you. Over.”

“But don’t accuse me and don’t bother me. I am not afraid of you. If you want to sink me, sink me, but under your responsibility. Remember that we have people here. There are people on board, we are fulfilling a job, and we are going to stay here until we receive another order. Over.”

“It is not our intention to put your ship or your crew or anyone in danger. We only want to make sure that you go to port and stop fishing. But we don’t want to put anyone in danger, you or us,” the Sam Simon answers.

“Then why are you so close, why are you so close, the crew here is getting anxious and nervous, and that is dangerous. If there is an accident or a tragedy, or someone jumps overboard, it’s going to be your responsibility. Over.”

“OK, we will stay with you trying not to make you nervous and keeping a distance. It is not our intention to put anyone in danger or hurt anyone. Over,” the captain of the Sam Simon says through his interpreter.

After two hours, with a blast of the ship’s horn, the Atlas Cove leaves the formation. Several of the crew on the Sam Simon choose to stay below deck when the fishing vessel sails towards Mauritius to prepare for the season in Antarctica.

Every time Cataldo has previously called up the Bob Barker, Peter Hammarstedt has tried to discern his state of mind. Perhaps this could give him a warning of what the man would get up to later. He has never heard him so upset and stressed out as he is now, and thinks he has achieved what he wanted with the manoeuvre: to demoralize Cataldo. But the last message from the Thunder on this day worries Hammarstedt.

“You sent a lot of letters to the ship. You are worried about the Indonesian crew, and now all the Indonesians are nervous. One person attempted to take his life. Over.”