I first heard of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society many years ago at a London gig by Ignite. I was reminded of them when I bought a Propagandhi single about a year ago, and since then, I've taken a peripheral interest in their activities.
The SSCS mostly toes, but perhaps sometimes crosses, some delicate lines in the overlap between international conservation law and maritime law. Since I'm interested in conservation, in law, and in peaceful protest as a means of social change, the SSCS makes an interesting case study.
When I read that the SSCS's boat Ady Gil had been sunk by the Japanese whaling vessel Shonan Maru 2, I was initially a little sceptical, essentially for the same reasons outlined in this Christian Science Monitor piece. But having watched footage of the collision (see below), it seems fairly clear that the Shonan Maru 2 did indeed deliberately strike the Ady Gil. Watch closely, and you can see that with the latter almost stationary and positioned off the Shonan Maru 2's starboard bow, the Shonan Maru 2 turns sharply to starboard just in time to force a collision, and then turns just as sharply to port once the damage has been done.
It seems obvious from the video that the rate of turn of the Shonan Maru 2 was more than sufficient to allow its captain a free choice either to force a collision with the drifting Ady Gil or to avoid one. If so, then the SSCS's claim that the Ady Gil was deliberately rammed must be true.