Icelandic authorities detained 21 crew members from the vessel Bandero near Reykjavik following a confrontation with a whaling ship. The operation, involving the Icelandic Coast Guard and special forces, targeted a group associated with the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.
The Midnight Boarding of the Bandero by the Viking Squad
The Icelandic Coast Guard intercepted the Bandero on Thursday evening after the crew of the whaling ship Hvalur 9 reported safety concerns. According to the report, the Bandero ignored repeated instructions to exit Icelandic waters and stop its engines, leading the police special forces Viking Squad to board the vessel around midnight.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation confirmed that 21 crew members were detained during the raid.. The foundation alleges that the crew's phones were confiscated and that authorities refused to produce a search warrant before seizing property from the ship.
Four Weeks of Legal Limbo for Shannon Mann and Crew
Shannon Mann, a Calgary-based activist and deckhand, reports that the crew is currently trapped in a state of legal uncertainty. While the Icelandic authorities have stated the crew is not under arrest, they are forbidden from leaving the Bandero for up to four weeks and are prohibited from stepping onto Icelandic soil.
As reported by the Icelandic national broadcaster RUV, police intend to deport the crew and implement a ban to prevent their retrun to Iceland. Mann noted that crew members were asked to sign legal documents written in Icelandic without being provided a clear explanation for their detention.
Paul Watson's Shift from Sea Shepherd to Operation 86
The Bandero was operating as part of "Operation 86," a campaign by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation to end commercial whaling in Iceland. Iceland remains one of the few nations,alongside Japan and Norway, that continues the practice, though the report notes that whale meat is now rarely consumed within the country.
The foundation's founder, 75-year-old Paul Watson, was not on the vessel during the seizure. Watson, a former leader of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, is well-known for the reality series Whale Wars and a history of high-seas confrontations. His legal troubles include a 2024 five-month imprisonment in Greenland stemming from a 2010 Japanese warrant, thoough he was removed from Interpol's most-wanted list in 2025.
The Antarctic Collision and Unverified Search Warrants
The current dispute in Reykjavik follows a controversial incident earlier this year in Antarctica. The Norwegian owner of an industrial krill trawler claimed the Bandero deliberately collided with their vessel, an act they argued endangered lives and risked an environmental disaster.
Significant questions remain regarding the legality of the Icelandic boarding. The Captain Paul Watson Foundation claims the crew was denied access to legal counsel, a point that has not been independently verified by the Icelandic government. It also remains unclear whether the "safety threat" cited by the Hvalur 9 involved physical aggression or merely the presence of the protest vessel.
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