As a 3rd officer in the Masters, Mates, & Pilots Union I want to thank "Joseph Pugliese" for your comment. It clearly indicates to us merchant mariners that you USCG fellows have no concept or understanding for the Rules of the Road, yet do not fail to make the work of us real sailors that much more difficult. You clearly know nothing about how a marine fire pump system operates, nor do you seem versed in anti-piracy procedure.

Please re-read "BOATGEEKS" comment and watch the video again, you will notice from the prop wash of the eco terrorist vessel that it intentionally increased speed as the Japanese fishing vessel veered away. Please stop blocking our legislation to carry arms, it would help our interactions with the Somali's, drug runners, and these similar terrorist to go much more smoothly. Updating the licensing exam for the modern era and getting rid of the TWIC card/tax would go a long way too. Enough is enough, you need to read the publications you issue.

It's all fun and games . . . until somebody loses a bow. I agree with your position on whaling but I am not convinced that the Japanese vessel bears all the responsibility for the ramming.

Watch the Japanese video again and pay close attention to the prop wash of Ady Gil. At first they are moving slowly and then in the last seconds before the collision the wash is much more agitated which means he probably accelerated at the last second. They were the right of way vessel but if there intention was to harass and not collide they acted way to late. As the stand on vessel they were obligated to hold their course, but if they failed to take evasive maneuvers, then they can be considered partially at fault. If the Japanese ship's intention was to avoid collision, Ady Gil made it impossible by accelerating.

In the other video, it does appear that the Japanese ship veered, but that does not mean it was intentional. Watch again and you'll notice that the vessel is rolling from side to side. That could be because they were making radical course changes, but it could also be because they were encountering a quartering sea, which would also cause the ship to veer from side to side.

Also in the Japanese video we catch a glimpse of another ship ahead of the whale ship. Was that another whale ship, or was that Ady Gil's support vessel that was doing the filming? If there were other vessels in the area they could have affected the Japanese vessel's ability to veer to port to avoid collision. If Ady Gil's true intent was to harass, their best tactical position would have been on a parallel course, just ahead of the bow of the whale ship, close enough to be below the line of sight from the ship's bridge. It put's Ady Gil in control, it's far more safe, and makes it very hard for the whale ship to do its job.

If intentionally ramming a vessel is illegal, then it should also be illegal to intentionally try to impede a vessel. A sudden roll of the whale ship could just as easily have caused a Japanese sailor to lose his life while handling heavy machinery, falling down a stairwell, or even falling overboard.

Stopping the whaling is an honorable cause. The Ady Gil's crew took the position that the ends justify the means and it came back to bite them. just think if every activist group chose that tactic? You'd have people making your life miserable on a daily basis because they think their cause is more important than the rule of law. I happen to like cows. Does that give me the right jump in front of you on the sidewalk and block your path until you discard your belt shoes and wallet? The honorable way to win this battle is with a lot of hard work and perseverance in political and legal realm, not on the high seas. We shouldn't confuse eco terrorism with honor.