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MY Steve Irwin

MY Steve Irwin moored in the West India Docks, London, 2011
History
Scotland
Name1975–2006: FPV Westra
Owner1975–1999: Secretary of State for Scotland
Operator1975–2003: Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
Ordered1974
BuilderHall, Russell & Company, Aberdeen, Scotland
Yard number962
ChristenedFPV Westra
In service1975–2003
Out of service2003–2006 (laid up for disposal)
HomeportLeith, Scotland
NetherlandsNetherlands
Name
NamesakeSteve Irwin
Owner2006–2019: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Operator2006–2019: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Port of registryRotterdam, Netherlands
In service2006
Out of service2019
HomeportHobart, Tasmania
Identification
StatusRetired, to be preserved
General characteristics
Class and typeIsland class patrol vessel
Tonnage885 gt
Length59.43 m (195 ft)
Beam10.97 m (36 ft)
Draught4.26 m (14 ft)
Ice classNone
Propulsion2 x British Polar Engines 12-cylinder 2,100 bhp (1,600 kW), driving a variable-pitch propeller
Speed12.5–16.5 knots (23–31 km/h)
Capacity200 tons fuel
Crew43
Aircraft carried1 MD Helicopters MD 500 can be embarked
Notes[2]

The MY Steve Irwin is a 59-metre (194 ft) motor vessel that previously was the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and was used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and against illegal fisheries activities. The vessel was built in 1975 and formerly served as a Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency conservation enforcement patrol boat, the FPV Westra, for 28 years.

Sea Shepherd had originally christened the vessel the MV Robert Hunter after Canadian Robert Hunter,[3] co-founder of Greenpeace, but it was renamed in honor of The Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin, who had died just over a year earlier, on September 4, 2006.[4] Irwin had considered joining the vessel on a voyage to Antarctica shortly before his death, and the renaming was endorsed by his widow Terri.[5]

The ship and her crew, and their efforts for conservation, were the subject of the Animal Planet show Whale Wars.

The MV Steve Irwin is now in the ownership of the not for profit Ship4Good. In late 2024, Ship4Good announced a new long-term partnership with marine debris prevention charity - Tangaroa Blue Foundation. In 2025, the MV Steve Irwin will come out of retirement for a new mission to remove and prevent marine debris across Australia and regions.

  1. ^ "Steve Irwin". MarineTraffic.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  2. ^ "Fishery Protection Vessel List" (PDF). Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. April 30, 2007. p. 42. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  3. ^ Neptune's Navy Archived November 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
  4. ^ "Sea Shepherd Renames Its Whale Defending Ship the Steve Irwin". Sea Shepherd. December 5, 2007. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008.
  5. ^ Sea Shepherd honours Steve Irwin Perth Now, December 5, 2007

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