Anti-whaling ship escapes in the night

The captain of an anti-whaling ship seized by South African maritime authorities in a dispute over certification says his vessel has slipped out of the country under cover of darkness.

Paul Watson, founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, says the 54m-long Farley Mowat sailed from Cape Town today after months of unsuccessful efforts to negotiate with the South African Marine Safety Association.

The ship had been detained since arriving in Cape Town following a stoush with Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean in January.

Watson said the detention of his ship was politically motivated, and that illegal transhipment of whale meat had been occurring at the port.

"Japan has influence in Cape Town," he said. "We have experienced that influence and we have been very disappointed that South African harbour authorities have seen fit to harass people who simply want to save the whales."

He said South African authorities had insisted the Farley Mowat obtain commercial certification even though it is registered in Canada as a yacht.

"Since the Farley Mowat is not registered as a commercial ship the production of commercial certificates presented a catch-22 situation that could not be resolved."

The escape of the Farley Mowat comes on the day that the International Whaling Commission is set to begin its annual meeting in the Caribbean nation of St Kitts & Nevis.

"Japan will attempt to legalise their whaling activities at this meeting with the help of new member nations they have brought into the IWC to vote against the whales and for the whalers," Watson said.