Brigitte Bardot crew evacuated to Steve irwin

by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on 4 Jan 2012 Hit with deteriorating weather conditions, Captain Paul Watson has ordered the evacuation of most of the crew off the Brigitte Bardot and onto the Steve Irwin.*

At 1200 Hours (Perth time) on December 2, the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot were at 34 Degrees 38 Minutes South and 112 Degrees 21 Minutes East, a position 200 nautical miles from Fremantle, Western Australia and 120 miles off the coast of Western Australia.

The Japanese whaling fleet security vessel Shonan Maru #2 continued to trail five miles behind the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot.

'The port side pontoon on the Brigitte Bardot has become detached after 1000 miles of navigating through rough seas.' Said Captain Paul Watson. 'We are taking precautions and the only crew to remain on board will be Brigitte Bardot captain Jonathan Renecle of South Africa, ship manager Simon Ager of Canada and first mate Beck Straussner of the United States and chief engineer Vincent Vandendridssche of Belgium. Four of the crew have been transferred to the Steve Irwin.'

The vessels were in five metre swells and thirty knot winds.

* The Sea Shepherd scout vessel Brigitte Bardot was struck by a rogue wave that cracked the hull and severely damaged one of the pontoons on December 28, 2011. The vessel was at 51 degrees 42 minutes South and 99 Degrees 21 minutes East, or 1500 miles southwest of Fremantle, Western Australia at the time.

http://www.seashepherd.org/