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Japanese whaling ship crippled by fire

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published February 16, 2007

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A Japanese whaling ship crippled by fire drifted off the world's largest penguin breeding grounds today, and New Zealand alerted other countries it may need help if the vessel leaks oil into the pristine Antarctic waters.

A Japanese fisheries official said the blaze could force an early end to the season's whale hunt.

One crew member was missing from the 8,000-ton Nisshin Maru. The fire was contained below decks but continued to burn, said New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter.

No oil had spilled and the vessel was in no immediate danger of sinking, officials said.

The ship was carrying 132,000 gallons of heavy oil and 211,000 gallons of furnace oil.

Steve Corbett, a spokesman for Maritime New Zealand, said that his agency had spoken with the ship early today and that the captain said overnight pumping had emptied excess water from the vessel.

"That's corrected the list ... but there is still no (engine) power," he said.

Japanese officials said the blaze broke out in the area where whale carcasses are processed.

Most of the vessel's 148 crew members were evacuated Thursday to three other ships that also belong to the Japanese whaling fleet, said Hideki Moronuki, an official with the Japan Fisheries Agency.

The ship was 110 miles from Antarctica's Cape Adare, which hosts the world's largest penguin breeding rookeries with 250,000 breeding pairs of Adelie penguins, Antarctica New Zealand chief executive Lou Sanson said.

[Last modified February 16, 2007, 01:21:52]