 Age of Union in 2014 asSam Simon | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name | Seifu Maru |
| Owner | Japan Meteorological Agency[1] |
| Operator | Maizuru Marine Observatory |
| Builder | Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co Ltd |
| Yard number | 3035[2] |
| Laid down | 6 April 1992[2] |
| Launched | 11 August 1992[2] |
| Christened | 1993 |
| Completed | 22 January 1993[1][2] |
| In service | 1993–2010 |
| Homeport | Maizuru, Kyoto |
| Identification | IMO number: 9053452[3] |
| Fate | Sold in 2010 |
| Japan | |
| Name | Kaiko Maru No. 8 |
| Owner | Offshore Operation Co., Ltd |
| Acquired | 2010 |
| In service | 2010–2012 |
| Renamed | 2010 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Sold in 2012 |
 Tuvalu | |
| Name | New Atlantis |
| Owner | New Atlantis VenturesLLC[2] |
| Port of registry | Funafuti |
| Acquired | September 2012 |
| In service | September 2012 – December 2012 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Management assumed bySea Shepherd Conservation Society; transferred to Australian register |
 Australia | |
| Name | Sam Simon |
| Namesake | Sam Simon |
| Owner | New Atlantis Ventures LLC[2] |
| Operator | Sea Shepherd Conservation Society[2] |
| Port of registry | Melbourne,Victoria, Australia[4] |
| In service | 2012–2013 |
| Identification | Call sign: VJN4108 |
| Status | Re-Flagged to the Netherlands |
 Netherlands | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | New Atlantis Ventures LLC |
| Operator | Sea Shepherd Conservation Society |
| Port of registry | Rotterdam,Netherlands |
| In service | 2013–present |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Research/Survey Vessel |
| Tonnage | 484 GT |
| Length | 55.5 m (182.1 ft)loa[2] |
| Beam | 9.8 m (32.2 ft)[2] |
| Draught | 3.50 m (11.48 ft)[2] |
| Depth | 4.30 m (14.11 ft)[2] |
| Installed power | One 6-cylinder diesel by Akasaka Diesel Ltd, Japan. 1,300 kW (1,800 hp)[2] |
| Propulsion | Single shaft;controllable-pitch propeller |
| Speed | 12.9 knots (23.9 km/h; 14.8 mph)[3] – 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[citation needed] |
| Capacity | 200 tons fuel |
| Crew | 43 |
MY Age of Union is a vessel of theSea Shepherd Conservation Society fleet, the ship was previously named after American television producer and writerSam Simon, who donated the money to purchase the vessel. The ship's identity was kept secret, to be revealed when she met the Japanese whaling fleet in 2012, but was identified when her registration was discovered on theAustralian Maritime Safety Authority's list of registered ships.[4]
Age of Union is the former Japanese weather survey shipKaiko Maru No 8. Sea Shepherd paid theGovernment of Japan AUD $2,000,000 for the vessel.[5] She was renamedMVNew Atlantis shortly before being moved toBrisbane,Queensland. She was subsequently re-registered under the Australian flag as a pleasure craft calledSam Simon.[4]
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Age of Union was built byIshikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co Ltd in Tokyo, Japan asSeifu Maru[2] (清風丸, Seifū Maru – meaningcool breeze), a marine meteorological and oceanographic observation ship. The purpose ofSeifu Maru and her sister ships was to conduct observations of the pollution affecting the marine environment in the waters around Japan and the western North Pacific, covering greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances, heavy metals, and oils. The Japan Meteorological Agency operated five ships:Chofu Maru (長風丸, 1987),Kofu Maru (高風丸, 1988),Seifu Maru (清風丸, 1993),Ryofu Maru (凌風丸, 1995) andKeifu Maru (啓風丸, 2000).Seifu Maru was operated by the Maizuru Marine Observatory and worked in theSea of Japan. The JapaneseARGO Program (アルゴ計画) was completed and the un-needed vessel was sold to Offshore Operation Co. Ltd and was renamedKaiko Maru No 8 in 2010.[citation needed]
In September 2012,Kaiko Maru was purchased by New Atlantis Ventures LLC, based inWilmington, Delaware USA (ashell corporation of Sea Shepherd), and renamedNew Atlantis, registered under the flag of Tuvalu. In December 2012,New Atlantis was renamedSam Simon. $500,000 of upgrades for increased speed and range were undertaken in Brisbane, where she was docked and supplies were taken on board for the voyage to the whale sanctuary.[6] The vessel was publicly unveiled inHobart,Tasmania in December 2012.[7]
On February 20, 2013, the Japanese whaling shipNisshin Maru collided withSam Simon,MY Steve Irwin andMY Bob Barker multiple times in a confrontation in the Southern Ocean, north of Australia'sCasey Research Station in Antarctica.[8]
The MY Sam Simon currently operates in Europe and West Africa. In Europe, the Sam Simon crew are filming the activities of trawler type vessels in an attempt to draw attention to dolphin bycatch (dolphins unintentionally caught in the nets of the trawlers). In West Africa, the Sam Simon crew are partnering with several Governments to stopillegal fishing happening within West African waters.[citation needed]
As from 24 May 2021, the MY Sam Simon has been sighted in the Port of Gibraltar for a technical call.[citation needed]
Sam Simon was renamed Age of Union in January 2022 after a $4.5 million donation byDax Dasilva.[9]
