Japanese Whaler Lost At Sea
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday January 6, 2009
A JAPANESE whaler has been lost overboard in the Antarctic, continuing a series of tragedies for the fleet.
The 31-year-old disappeared from the spotter ship Kyoshin Maru No. 2 early yesterday in icy waters too distant to mount an aerial search, according to Maritime New Zealand's Rescue Co-ordination Centre. "It was about 12 hours flying time for an Orion to reach the site," RCC spokeswoman Christl McMillan said. "Survival time in waters of zero degrees and a four metre swell is estimated at one hour." She said the whaling fleet was mounting a search for the body of the man, who failed to turn up for a 7am watch on the ship. His death follows the loss of two others on the factory ship Nisshin Maru. One died in an industrial accident in 2007, and another was killed when the ship caught fire in the Ross Sea.The news comes after speculation about where an anti-whaling vessel chasing the Japanese ship would go when it needed to refuel. The Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin, now in eastern Antarctic waters, is expected to head for Chile, New Zealand or Australia to refuel.The Japan Whaling Association had urged Australia to close its ports to the Steve Irwin, but Sea Shepherd's captain, Paul Watson, ridiculed the request."That's like the bank robbers telling the police they're not allowed to go back to the police station," Captain Watson said.The Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, was guarded about whether he would shut out the protesters. No formal request to bar their entry had been received, he said, and any such request would be assessed within international ports law.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald