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Whalers heading for NZ seas
Topic Started: Jan 25 2008, 10:31 AM (36 Views)
Kahu
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Whalers heading for NZ seas
BEN FAWKES - The Dominion Post | Friday, 25 January 2008


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An air force Orion reported last night the ships were heading toward the Ross Sea – part of New Zealand's territorial waters. The airplane was on routine surveillance of fishing activity in the Southern Ocean.

Until now the fleet has confined its whaling to Australian seas. A ruling by the Australian Federal Court last week, declaring the fleet's activities illegal, sparked fears it would move into New Zealand territory.

Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick said the Government was concerned about the fleet's movements, particularly as New Zealand was responsible for search and rescue operations in the Ross Sea.

"New Zealand is strongly opposed to Japan's whaling in the Southern Ocean.

"We are also deeply concerned about the risk to human life and to Antarctica's pristine environment, should the Japanese whaling fleet encounter problems at sea," Ms Chadwick said.

Last year a fire on the factory ship Nisshin Maru stranded it in the Ross Sea.

The fire killed one crew member and the stricken ship, which was laden with tonnes of heavy fuel oil, posed the risk of an environmental disaster.

In a rare move, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda publicly defended his country's whaling programme and warned protesters that interference would not be tolerated.

"We have just asked the relevant countries to take proper measures, and the Japanese Government will work closely in order not to see such illegal activities in the future," he said in The Age newspaper.

At sea, the Nisshin Maru was last night being shadowed by the Australian customs patrol ship Oceanic Viking, The Age reported.

The Nisshin Maru had separated from the harpoon- equipped catcher ships, which were earlier being monitored by customs officers using small boats.

The fleet was still steaming without whaling, a spokeswoman for Australian Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus told The Age.

It is nearly two weeks since the fleet was found and began running from both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace.

Greenpeace's ship Esperanza remains on the tail of the Nisshin Maru.

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