Ady Gil

Wellington, Feb 15 NZPA - Japanese whalers have detained the skipper of the stricken Ady Gil on board their vessel today, anti-whaling boat Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson says.

Pete Bethune boarded the Shonan Maru 2 about 6.30am (11.30am NZ time) from a jet ski in order to make a citizen's arrest of the vessel's captain for allegedly ramming and sinking his ship and the "attempted murder" of the crew on board during an incident on January 6.

The high-tech speedboat Ady Gil, which had been part of efforts to harass Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, sank following a collision with the Shonan Maru.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society later filed with New Zealand police a complaint of attempted murder against the captain of a Japanese whaling vessel.

As well as the citizen's arrest, Mr Bethune was to present a $3 million bill to the whalers for the cost of replacing the Ady Gil.

The whalers had acknowledged Mr Bethune was on board, Mr Watson told NZPA.

"Pete presented the skipper with a demand that he turn himself in to a New Zealand or Australian port in order to answer to charges of destroying the Ady Gil and the attempted murder of six Sea Shepherd (Society) crew members.

"Of course we know they're not going to do that, but we have to press the case. They destroyed our ship without any repercussions."