As the chase progressed across thousands of nautical miles of ocean, Southern Supporter was joined by the South African salvage tug John Ross and polar icebreaker SAS Agulhas and Falkland Islands-based British fisheries patrol boat Dorada.

Meanwhile, a steaming party of Australian personnel flew to South Africa and boarded the oiler SAS Drakensberg, which met the other ships on 3 September.

Viarsa 1 captain Ricardo Mario Ribot Cabrera and his four shipmates posted bail and were ordered to remain close by and await legal proceedings.

It was the longest chase of an ocean poacher in history until the Sea Shepherd vessels Bob Barker and Sam Simon intercepted the Nigerian-flagged trawler Thunder, also a toothfish poacher, and pursued her from December 2014 to April 2015 as part of Sea Shepherd's "Operation Icefish" campaign.

[1][2] Despite the 97 tonnes of toothfish found on board the vessel, representatives for the owners of Viarsa 1 secured an acquittal by jury in November 2005.