Today, the German newspaper Deutsche Welle published an article Faroe Islands: Cruise Boycott Hits Tourism.
The article explains that two German cruise lines, AIDA and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, “have agreed no longer to feature the Faroe Islands. The move comes in response to pressure from animal rights groups to boycott the country over the mass slaughter of whales.”
The article cites the efforts of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Forum (Wal- und Delfinschutz-Forum – WDSF) which brought about the change. The conservation forum is now concentrating its efforts to stop the horrific slaughter of pilot whales by focusing on another German cruise line, TUI, which is still cruising to the Faroe Islands.
I recently wrote about this gruesome, bloody so-called tradition where locals use powerboats to chase frightened whales into a harbor where they are met by locals with knives while their family members cheer them on in what appears like a cruel and bloody sport from hell. The locals rip out baby whales from their mothers in this monstrous, brutal slaughter.
Our article last week, Cruise Lines Continue to Support Mass Murder of Whales in Faroe Islands, was viewed several hundred thousand times with over 5,800 Facebook “likes,” for what that’s worth, (as well as numerous hate-emails from residents of the Faroe Islands and Denmark).
Aside from AIDA and Hapag-Lloyd, and Disney Cruises which took the Faroes off its proposed itinerary last year, most cruise lines still visit the Faroes Islands.
TUI’s Mein Shiff 4, owned by parent companies Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. & TUI AG, will call there next week.
The U.S. State Department says that the standard of living in the Faroe Islands for the total population (about 48,000) is “high” by world standards.
The Faroese economy has revolved primarily around the fishery industry, accounting for about 95% of its exports of a little over one billions dollars a year.
The Faroes appear susceptible to a boycott.
In July 2013, the EU imposed sanctions on the Faroe Islands due to a dispute over the fishing quota of herring and mackerel. The boycott which started in August 2013 banned Faroese vessels carrying herring or mackerel from all EU ports, including Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The Faroe Islands could no longer export herring or mackerel to EU countries. The boycott was successful and ended a year later, in August of 2014
To achieve an effective boycott, we recommend taking three steps:
- Don’t buy any fish products, such as salmon, from the Faroe Islands. Tell your local supermarket, fish store or sushi restaurant to stop buying fish from the Faroe Islands.
- Don’t travel to the Faroe Islands; tell your travel agents to cross the Faroe Islands off your travel itinerary.
- Don’t cruise to the Faroe Islands or support cruise lines that do; contact your favorite cruise line and tell them to stop calling on the Faroe Islands.
TUI, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean and TUI AG, claims that it “condemns the practice of whaling,” but it will send the Mein Schiff 4 to Thorshavn, Faroe Islands and spend the day there on July 20th.
It is talking out of both sides of its mouth by still supporting the Faroes’ inhumane whale slaughter.
If you are in the U.S. contact Royal Caribbean, or in Germany contact TUI, and tell them that you oppose the killing of whales and won’t cruise with them until they drop the Faroe Islands from their itineraries.
Photo Credit: Grind slaughter (2015) – Twitter #OpKillingBay; Mein Schiff 4 – By HenSti CC BY-SA 4.0.
Video Credit: Sea Shepherd
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KJLiOm5mPeE%3Frel%3D0