Overview
- Icelandic authorities boarded and confiscated the activist vessel Bandero after the crew tried and failed to obstruct the Icelandic whaler Hvalur 9, leaving the 21 crew members under house arrest last week and formally expelled with at least two‑year re‑entry bans on Wednesday.
- Police said the activists violated international maritime law and endangered safety by originally planning to ram the whaler and then attempting to foul its propellers from a rubber boat.
- The activists, who say parts of the incident took place in international waters, criticised the response as excessive and reported that their phones were confiscated and documents were provided only in Icelandic.
- The crew included nationals from the United States, Brazil, France, Spain and several other countries and face different travel consequences because Schengen citizens were barred from Iceland specifically while non‑Schengen nationals were blocked from the whole Schengen area.
- The confrontation comes after Iceland resumed commercial whaling in June following a two‑year pause and as the government plans to propose a whaling ban in October, framing the episode as part of a wider domestic and diplomatic dispute over hunting practices.