BANDERO
Course/Position
2 min ago
Latest ports
Latest Waypoints
Latest news
Anti whaling ship towed to Akranes
The 'Bandero' was towed from Reykjavík to Akranes on Aug 17. The authorities call this move "operational", while it remained under detention. Two crew members remained in custody. Sea Shepherd stated that their mission against Icelandic whaling was being deliberately targeted with pressure. The 'Bandero' as a symbol and a witness documents an industry that has shielded itself from criticism for decades. Now, the plan was for this ship to disappear from the public eye in a whaling port.
Crew members confined to ship
The 21 crew members aboard the seized 'Bandero' remained confined to the ship in Reykjavík. Only the vessel’s captain has been formally charged. The vessel was taken under Icelandic control on following an encounter with the 'Hvalur 9', one of two ships operated by the whaling company Hvalur hf. The Bandero had been monitoring Iceland’s commercial fin-whale hunt. The crew members were held at gunpoint during the boarding and that their personal property was seized without a warrant being presented. The Coast Guard pursued the vessel using the patrol ship 'Freyja' and a helicopter before officers boarded from smaller boats. The police have announced that all crew members have been served with an authorities' decision regarding their deportation. A re-entry ban of at least two years has also been imposed on all of them. Until the ban was enforced, they have been allowed to leave the ship, but they must report to the police every day. Reykjavik's deputy police chief, Ásgeir Þór Ásgeirsson, accused them of a lack of cooperation.
Coast Guard captured ship after standoff with whaling vessel
The Icelandic Coast Guard has taken control of the 'Bandero' operated by the Paul Watson Foundation, after its captain allegedly ignored repeated orders to leave Icelandic waters and stop the vessel on July 30; 2026. The captain was arrested shortly before midnight during a joint operation involving the Coast Guard and Iceland’s National Commissioner of Police’s special forces. The Bandero is being escorted to Reykjavík Harbour. The 'Bandero' had entered Iceland’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters despite Coast Guard orders to leave. The vessel failed to comply with repeated instructions before special forces boarded and arrested the captain. The operation followed reports that the 'Bandero' had approached and attempted to interfere with the whaling vessel 'Hvalur 9'. The crew of the 'Hvalur 9' had requested assistance on the evening, saying they believed their safety was under threat. Earlier in the day, the Paul Watson Foundation claimed the 'Bandero' had collided with the 'Hvalur 9', forcing the whaling vessel to abandon its hunt and return to port. The Coast Guard confirmed that the 'Bandero' had approached the 'Hvalur 9' and attempted to disrupt its passage, but did not confirm the foundation’s account of a collision. The Coast Guard's operations centre received a report at around 6 p.m. that the 'Bandero' had crossed into Iceland’s territorial waters and was heading towards the 'Hvalur 9'. Watch officers instructed the vessel to leave Icelandic waters, but the orders were not followed. A Coast Guard helicopter already on patrol was dispatched to the scene and repeated the instructions without success. The patrol vessel 'Freyja' was then sent to intercept the 'Bandero', and its captain was ordered to stop the ship’s engines. According to the Coast Guard, those instructions were also ignored. Special police officers were flown by helicopter to the 'Freyja', while the Coast Guard’s special operations unit approached the 'Bandero' in speedboats. The teams boarded the vessel shortly before midnight, arrested the captain and assumed control of the ship. The 'Bandero' was taken to the Sundahöfn harbour in Reykjavík later the night. The operation was carried out in close cooperation with the Office of the National Commissioner of Police and that Iceland’s Ministry of Justice was kept informed.
Upload News