News
Ocean Warrior receives official welcome in Fremantle, Australia
Friday, 07 Apr, 2017
Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt, state and Federal Labor politicians (Simon McGurk MLA - Member for Fremantle, Lisa O’Malley - Member for Bicton and Josh Wilson MP - Federal Member for Fremantle) officially welcomed Sea Shepherd's latest weapon against poaching into Fremantle, fishing boat harbour. Mayor Pettitt presented the Ocean Warrior, with Captain Adam Meyerson and Sea Shepherd Australia Director Jeff Hansen, a city of Fremantle plaque.
Since 2006 Sea Shepherd vessels and crew have been welcomed with open arms by the city of Fremantle and surrounding suburbs. As can be seen by this story back in 2006 when Captain Alex Cornelissen brought the Farley Mowat into Fremantle and was welcomed by the mayor at that time, Peter Tagliaferri and WA Labor Attorney General, Jim McGinty.
The support harnessed in Fremantle has helped facilitate campaigns all over the world in defence of our oceans marine wildlife and humanities life support systems.
The Ocean Warrior has just returned from its first campaign titled Operation Nemesis, Sea Shepherd’s 11th Antarctic whale defence campaign. The MY Steve Irwin and the Ocean Warrior played an integral part in defending the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary this past Antarctic summer, costing the whale poachers millions of dollars in profits, in their barbaric hunt for their self-allocated quota of 333 protected minke whales.
The Fremantle mayor along with Labor representatives conducted a tour of the Ocean Warrior to get a taste of life on board a Sea Shepherd vessel, as well as a brief presentation on the broader work Sea Shepherd is doing for the protection of the world’s oceans.
This was followed by a very special honour for Captain Meyerson, being presented a city of Fremantle plaque by the mayor of Fremantle, Brad Pettitt, so the Fremantle city’s support will sail with the Ocean Warrior wherever she goes in defence of the world’s oceans.
Free public tours will commence this weekend at Kailis Marine 50 Mews Rd, Fishing Boat Harbour Fremantle, from 10am to 4pm then every Sunday after that until further notice
This will be the first time that West Australians will get a chance to see Sea Shepherd's $12 million fast new patrol vessel, the Ocean Warrior, generously funded by the Dutch postcode lottery.