Brigitte Bardot
In May 2011 the SSCS was served with a notice from the copyright holders of the Gojira/Godzilla franchise, regarding the unauthorized use of the trademark. The Society promptly changed the vessel's name to the Brigitte Bardot in honor of the French fashion model, actress, and singer whom Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd, took on an anti-sealing trip in 1977. In addition to a new name, the vessel also received a new paint scheme; the overall black scheme was replaced by a grey coloration similar to that of a naval vessel.
The ship, now under the command of Captain Jonathan Renecle, was damaged by a rogue wave of 11 m (36.1 ft) while pursuing the Japanese whaling fleet off the western coast of Australia on 28 December 2011. The Brigitte Bardot was escorted back to Fremantle by the SSCS flagship, MY Steve Irwin. The main hull was cracked and the port side pontoon was being held together by straps. The vessel arrived at Fremantle Harbour on 5 January 2012. Both ships were followed by the ICR security vessel MV Shōnan Maru 2 at a distance of 5 nautical miles (9 km).
The repair process, with a cost of over $250,000, involved placing the ship in a hermetically sealed chamber. Composite yacht experts from across the globe, including the ship's designer, were flown in to assess the damages and recommend a course of action. Sea Shepherd's 18 Australian chapters raised the money necessary to repair the vessel. Repairs to the MV Brigitte Bardot were completed and the ship set sail for sea trials on 16 April 2012.
In September 2012, the Brigitte Bardot was expelled from Fiji by local naval and immigration officials.
On 5 January 2013 in Timaru, New Zealand, a distress call was issued in relation to the Brigitte Bardot after an observer mistook the vessel for an overturned yacht. While several vessels nearby responded to the call, the Brigitte Bardot did not respond and instead turned away at high speed upon the arrival of a rescue helicopter. The South Canterbury Coastguard and Maritime New Zealand criticised Sea Shepherd over the incident, stating "There was no need for Sea Shepherd to behave like this".
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