gCaptain is reporting, the Japanese have decided to play hard ball, or at least bumper cars, with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s vessels when they attempted to prevent an underway replenishment of a Japanese factory ship.
Reportedly two Sea Shepherd ships were rammed repeatedly. I would call what they did “shouldering” rather than ramming, because, to me at least, the video clearly shows they were attempting to push the protest vessels out of the way, rather than sink them.
The Japanese Coast Guard is also accused of throwing concussion grenades at Sea Shepherd vessels.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
More here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-20/japan-halts-whale-hunt-after-sea-shepherd-clashes/4530854
This situation just screams about the short-comings of Australia’s lack of a Coast Guard. Australia is VERY upset about Japanese whaling and is taking them to court about it, but meanwhile it has continued for years. Australia doesn’t want to offend or threaten Japan by sending a RAN ship to intercede, and Australia Customs and Border Protection (their whole border is a coastline for crying out loud!) contracts out to a private company their surveillance program which has no antarctic capability… http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/cobham-catches-a-1b-australian-coastwatch-contract-01695/
If Australia had a sea-going treaty- and law-enforcement civil agency (Coast Guard), the Sea Shepards wouldn’t need to play these games and Australian gov’t wouldn’t be ineffectively wringing their hands and frozen in the laughably slow inaction of the courts.
Great lesson/example for USCG to keep ready when budget cutters eye the CG budget/capabilities.
Apparently the Japanese are sending an icebreaker (a very stout hull when it comes to playing bumper cars with ships) to support the whalers.
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Sea-Shepherd-Tensions-Rise-in-Clash-With-Japanese-Whalers/
Looks like Sea Shepherd organization is getting a new, faster boat. A Damen design, it appears to be a variation of their 50 meter long, 9 meter beam, axe bowed Offshore Industry Supply Vessel.
http://gcaptain.com/sea-shepherd-heads-damen-winning-jackpot/
Best news of all–Pamela Anderson has joined their board of advisors, so their professionalism is sure to improve.