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New Ship, New Campaign: On Our Way Back to Antarctica!

Monday, 20 Feb, 2023

We’re excited to announce we’ve added a new vessel to our fleet, currently en route to the Southern Ocean to take on the present-day challenges that face the Antarctic ecosystem.

The Allankay, on its way to the Southern Ocean. Photo by Flavio Gasperini / Sea Shepherd Global.
Allankay crew on the Tempest RHIB. Photo by Flavio Gasperini / Sea Shepherd Global.
Ship manager Mar on the bridge of the Allankay. Photo by Flavio Gasperini / Sea Shepherd Global.

Purchased thanks to a donation by a generous couple from the Northern Beaches of Sydney, the Allankay is a 54.5-meter former Patagonian toothfish fishing vessel, ice-strengthened and suited to working in polar climates.

Operation Antarctica Defense, the maiden campaign of Allankay, follows a long history of Sea Shepherd successes protecting the Antarctic.

In 2017, after 15 years of Sea Shepherd’s direct action campaigns to end illegal whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary that resulted in over 6,000 whales saved, the Japanese government abandoned the Antarctic whale hunt.

In 2015, the Sea Shepherd Global ships Bob Barker and Sam Simon (now known as the Age of Union) chased Thunder, a notorious toothfish poacher wanted by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) for 110-days until its captain, unable to shake pursuit, sank the vessel in an effort to destroy the evidence on board. Publicity from the longest maritime chase in history resulted in the arrest of the sister ships of Thunder, bringing an end to their illegal fishing activities in the Southern Ocean.

Today there’s a new threat facing Antarctica and the marine wildlife that depend on it, requiring us to head south once more. Sea Shepherd Global has the experience and the resolve to defend the Southern Ocean’s unique ecosystem, a vital keystone in the health of our planet.

Captain Peter Hammarstedt on the Allankay. Photo by Flavio Gasperini / Sea Shepherd Global.

The purchase of the Allankay was made possible through a generous donation that is the sum of a lifetime of hard work by Allan and Kay. The combination of their two names — representing their love for one another and their shared passion for the natural world — is emblazoned on the hull of the ship that I now have the distinct privilege of commanding. To be entrusted with a milestone in their life story, one that I am confident will feature many conservation victories, is a great, great honor as I captain Allankay on its maiden voyage.

Captain Peter Hammarstedt, Sea Shepherd Global's Director of Campaign
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