• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Japanese Whaling Ship Catches Fire

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 February 2007, 21:00 CST

By RAY LILLEY

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A Japanese whaling ship caught fire Thursday in icy waters near Antarctica and most crew members were safely evacuated but one was listed as missing, officials said.

The Nisshin Maru sent out a distress call early Thursday after the fire broke out below decks, leaving the ship drifting without power, said Steve Corbett, a spokesman for Maritime New Zealand, whose country is nearest the area.

Most of the 148-member crew were evacuated to three nearby Japanese whaling ships, leaving several behind to fight the blaze and search for crew member Kazutaka Makita, said Hideki Moronuki, an official with the Japan Fisheries Agency.

Senior crew closed hatches to seal off the burning area - apparently a processing plant inside the ship - to prevent the fire from spreading, Moronuki said.

"The ship has lost all engine power," Corbett said. "The crew are still fighting it, but with 20 people on board they are confident it won't sink and the fire won't spread further."

New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter said the safety of the Nisshin Maru's crew was the top priority, but noted the ship was only 110 miles from the Antarctic coast.

"We are also gravely concerned about the environmental risk to Antarctica's pristine environment if the ship is sufficiently damaged to begin leaking oil," Carter said in a statement.

The 8,000-ton Nisshin Maru was one of at least two Japanese whaling ships that have been harassed recently by activists from the conservation group Sea Shepherd, who have thrown foul-smelling acid and other objects at the ships to try to keep them from hunting whales.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

More News in this Category