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It has been nine days now since the Japanese vessel NISSHIN MARU suffered
a fire that rendered her powerless in the Antarctic and yet despite
assurances that her engines have fired up, she still appears helpless
alongside other vessels in the fleet being used to keep her steady.
The situation has caused great concern in New Zealand with the
Conservation Minister Chris Carter telling Japanese authorities he wants
the ship out of the region, fearing for the safety of a sensitive penguin
breeding colony. With weather conditions reported to be worsening and ice
packs being roughly 10 miles away, many are puzzled as to why, despite
assurances in press releases that the vessel is no longer helpless, the
ship simply hasn't moved on.
Glenn Inwood, who acts as spokesman for the Institute of Cetacean
Research, the body that operates the vessel, is reported as saying
recently on New Zealand radio, "The last report we had... was that the
engine was going. They'd replaced all the wiring, and checked all the
gauges and the mechanics of it, and kicked the old girl into gear."
However reports from Greenpeace activists in the area on board the
ESPERANZA paint a very different picture from the comforting press
releases and assurances from Mr Inwood.
Dave, Greenpeace's web editor on the ESPERANZA, reports:
"Our engines are off right now, and we're drifting in westerly wind, which
is blowing the Esperanza east, towards the ice pack at speed of one knot.
That's one nautical mile (nm) per hour. Since 0900, we've moved 8 miles
east and now the ice is just 10nm away. The thing is, we can turn on our
engines anytime, and push through the pack ice. The whaler's factory ship,
the Nisshin Maru can't do anything - it's still slung between its tanker/resupply
vessel - the Oriental Bluebird - and one of the catchers, even closer to
the ice than us. "
Another worry for the Japanese crew is that that their vessel is not Ice
class, according to Dave. Meaning, she won't tackle being ground against
ice packs all that well.
It would appear that the crews of ESPERANZA and the NISSHIN MARU have some
kind of rapport, and being stuck in one of the loneliest and most
inhospitable regions of the world is sure to make for the strangest of
bedfellows. Especially so if you are on a ship with no working propulsion
and pack ice nearby. They keep in regular communication and the Greenpeace
chopper takes off to take a look at the weather and ice situation and
shares the information with the NISSHIN MARU and the rest of the whaling
fleet. So it would appear that any enmity between the two parties is far
removed from what we have been led to believe exists, stemming from an
incident years ago when activists reportedly 'vandalised' the NISSHIN MARU
when she came into port in New Zealand.
It begs the serious question, why won't the NISSHIN MARU accept help from
the ESPERANZA to get towed out of the region and away from the pack ice?
It would of course be a major coup for Greenpeace and a terrible
embarrassment for Japan to see their crippled whaler having to accept a tow
from an organisation committed to ending their whaling activities, but the
fact remains that the ESPERANZA, so far, is the only vessel anywhere
nearby, capable of assisting the stricken whaler with any degree of safety
or competence.
Japan
seems determined that the NISSHIN MARU will move under her own power with
no-one's help and whilst it would be a happy outcome if she does, and
safely, time is not on her side, or her crew's.
Or for that matter, the penguins'.
(Above photo: Copyright 2007 Greenpeace)
Update: 06:00 GMT Since this article was published reports are coming in
that the engines on NISSHIN MARU have been restarted and the vessel has
moved two miles before stopping again.
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