A Japanese boat continues to head south in Australian waters despite carrying three anti-whaling protesters from western Australia.
The three boarded the Shonan Maru 2 overnight in the hope it would be forced to return them to shore, and would no longer be able to shadow the Sea Shepherd's anti whaling vessel, the Steve Irwin.
The Steve Irwin's captain, Paul Watson, claims the Japanese crew has confiscated radios from the protesters.
Australia's Attorney-General Nicola Roxon says it's possible the trio will be taken to Japan, where they could face penalties under Japanese law.
She says government officials are in talks with Japanese authorities to try to get the activists safely returned to Australia.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Japanese whaling program at the Institute of Cetacean Research, Glenn Inwood, has confirmed the men were still aboard the Shonan Maru 2.
