Boat sinking claimed after whaling clash in Antarctica

Sea Shepherd's annual confrontation with Japan mixes high and low tech

SYDNEY: A conservation group's boat had its bow sheared off and was taking on water yesterday after it collided with a Japanese whaling ship in the frigid waters of Antarctica, the group said. The boat's six crew members were safely rescued.

The clash was apparently the most serious in the past several years, during which the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has sent vessels into far southern waters to try to harass the Japanese fleet into ceasing its annual whale cull.