Iceland anti-whaling mission a success: activists

A Saskatchewan activist, Shannon Mann, returned to her homeland of Saskatoon after being detained on an anti-whaling protest boat off the coast of Iceland for nearly a week in early August. Mann, along with 20 other crew members, was detained by Icelandic authorities after the ship they were on, the Bandero, was boarded. The Icelandic Coast Guard claimed the crew of the whaling ship Hvalur 9 requested assistance, stating their safety was threatened by the protesters.

However, the Bandero ignored coast guards' instructions to leave Icelandic waters and later received an order to stop its engines.

The crew's mission, which aimed to draw international attention to Iceland's illegal whaling operations, took a controversial turn when the Icelandic Coast Guard boarded the vessel with a full SWAT team, complete with body armor, guns, masks, and helmets. Despite the stressful situation, Mann expressed nostalgia for her time at sea, stating, "Every night … I just dream that I'm back on the ship and I'm quite happy, quite content."

Paul Watson, the captain of the Bandero and founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, said the dramatic boarding of the ship has made their mission a success. He explained that the crew's original intention was to interrupt whaling activities and document the process for a TV show. When the coast guards boarded the ship, they captured the desired images for the documentary.