The Japanese captain has in turn accused Greenpeace of intentionally causing the high seas collision Sunday and expressed fears that the activists had tried to plant a bomb on one of the whaling ships.

The Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise was damaged in the collision but spokesman Shane Rattenbury told AFP by satellite phone from on board that it would continue its pursuit of the Japanese whaling fleet.

"Despite the fact that we took some damage, it was all above the deckline. There's no leaks in the ship. It's quite seaworthy so we're determined to stay on for as long as we can," he said.

The Arctic Sunrise and another Greenpeace ship, Esperanza, have been shadowing the Japanese whaling fleet since December 21, attempting to disrupt the hunt by putting activists in small inflatables between the harpooners and the whales.

The International Whaling Commission imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986 but Japan has continued hunting for what it calls scientific research -- a claim rejected by critics.

Despite international protests, Japan has this year more than doubled its planned catch of minke whales to 935 and added 10 endangered fin whales, with plans to eventually lift the number to 50, along with 50 rare humpback whales.

The Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) said in a statement on its website that the Greenpeace vessel "deliberately rammed the Japanese research vessel, the Nisshin-Maru, in the Antarctic while it was attempting to transfer cargo."

ICR director-general Hiroshi Hatanaka called on Greenpeace and another anti-whaling group, Sea Shepherd, to "stop at once their dangerous and criminal actions."

The collision occurred after Greenpeace activists on small inflatable boats painted the words "whale meat from sanctuary" on the side of the supply ship, the Oriental Bluebird, Greenpeace said in a statement.

The ICR said the captain of the Nisshin-Maru "was concerned that the activists had attached a bomb or some other explosive device" to the ship, but insisted that he had not rammed the Arctic Sunrise.

Rattenbury, however, said the Japanese ship had turned a full circle behind the supply vessel after unloading whale meat and headed directly towards the Arctic Sunrise.

"It was a very deliberate incident because there was absolutely no need for them to have come round the vessel. They really had to seek us out, to come around the resupply vessel and strike us," he said.

"The other thing that highlighted the premeditated nature of it was that after we were struck they turned the water cannon into our bridge as they went past so we took a direct blow from the water cannon as well."

Greenpeace was "examining its options" over the possibility of taking legal action against the Japanese captain, Rattenbury said.

"Immediately after the collision the Nisshin Maru began to steam away from the scene," Greenpeace said. "Both the Arctic Sunrise and the Esperanza are in pursuit with every intention of continuing to peacefully protest the hunt.

"Over the past few days Greenpeace activists have repeatedly run the gauntlet between the whalers' harpoons and their prey in order to protect the whales and defend the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. "No amount of bullying or intimidation will prevent us from defending the whales, nor from broadcasting images of the kills to the world," said Rattenbury.

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