Dramatic images have been sent from the Antarctic of the Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru colliding with other ships - including its own fuel-laden tanker.

The 8030-tonne Nisshin Maru can be seen amid pack ice grazing the stern of the 5741-tonne Sun Laurel near Australia's Davis station, in images sent by the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd.

As a result, the framework for launching the tanker's lifeboat has been damaged, preventing its release in an emergency.

The collision on Wednesday came as the Nisshin Maru attempted to reach the Sun Laurel for refuelling, also hitting the anti-whaling group's long range ship Bob Barker in the stern and disabling it.