The Sea Shepherd vessel will be moored in Venice from 1 to 7 February. Visitors will be able to tour the ship, meet the crew and support the organisation that protects the planet's marine wildlife.
For nearly forty years, Sea Shepherd volunteers have sailed the world's oceans to combat the slaughter of wild species that inhabit the seas and their ecosystems. Unlike other conservation organisations, the one founded by Paul Watson not only documents illegal activities carried out against marine biodiversity and raises public awareness, but also acts directly to counter illegal fishing operations, sabotaging and obstructing whaling vessels and fishing boats.
From 1 to 7 February, the Bob Barker will dock in Italy for the first time, in Venice. The vessel flies Sea Shepherd's black flag, which depicts a skull bearing the images of a dolphin and a sperm whale, with a trident crossed with a shepherd's crook. The ship has taken part in some of Sea Shepherd's most significant campaigns, from the Antarctic missions in defence of whales in the cetacean sanctuary in the Southern Ocean, to the campaign to protect pilot whales in the Faroe Islands.
The Venice stopover is therefore a unique opportunity to meet the Sea Shepherd crew — entirely made up of volunteers — and the organisation that fights to protect a shared heritage: the wildlife of our seas. "Our ships are your ships, our crews are your crews, our victories are your victories, and the lives we save are the lives we all save together!" declared Captain Paul Watson, founder and president of Sea Shepherd.
On board the Bob Barker, captained by Antonio Sueiras Zaurin, there is also an Italian crew member, Melissa Bortolin. The ship will be moored at the Marina Vento di Venezia marina, on the Island of Certosa, at the new floating pontoons.
On Saturday 6 (the vessel will instead be moored at the Riva Sette Martiri pier, near Piazza San Marco) and Sunday 7 (back at Marina Vento di Venezia), the organisation's volunteers will hold guided tours of the ship open to the public and will be available at an information point located near the vessel. On Sunday, at 2pm, a press conference open to the public is scheduled, featuring Captain Alex Cornelissen, CEO of Sea Shepherd Global, the Bob Barker's captain Antonio Sueiras Zaurin, the ship's international crew, and the vice president of Sea Shepherd Italia, Enrico Salierno.
As well as getting up close to one of the most important environmental activist organisations at a global level, the Bob Barker's Venice stopover will also offer the chance to make a personal contribution to the protection of whales and other marine animals. "We need your help to keep the Bob Barker at sea alongside the other ships in our fleet," reads the organisation's press release.