The Court of the Faroe Islands last week found Daniel Binyon—the captain on Jamaica-registered anti-whaling vessel ‘John Paul DeJoria’—guilty of violating a specific order to stay out of the 12 nautical miles from the baselines of the Faroes.
A 157,000 DKK fine was issued to Mr. Binyon in his absence for breaching the executive order on two occasions and for illegally entering the Faroes.
The John Paul de Joria, owned by Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson, violated the entry ban first on July 9th when a whaling event was taking place in Tórshavn, and reportedly again two days later when crew members on rigid inflatable boats and water scooters crossed the 12-mile limit.
Then on July 19th, the ship reportedly violated the order again incidentally as a pod of pilot whales had been found and tagged near Sandavágur; Captain Binyon will likely be handed a fine over that incident as well, according to new reports.
On the following day, the court sentenced the captain a fine of 75,000 DKK for each of the two first violations plus 7,000 DKK for entering the Faroes without a passport, in total 157,000 DKK.
The defendant did not appear in court with the John Paul DeJoria having left Faroese waters on the previous night, apparently headed for Lisbon, Portugal, after spending about a fortnight within the exclusive economic zone of the Faroes.
Meanwhile, according to information shared on social media, the John Paul de Joria is slated to undergo renovations in Hull, England, in which case the vessel is not to be expected in Faroese waters for the remainder of this summer.
