A spokesman for Japanese whalers says they are likely to end their controversial whale hunt in Antarctica's Southern Ocean early and return to port.
Glenn Inwood, of Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, says the Nisshin Maru, which lay disabled after a fire for 10 days in the Ross Sea, was still testing its engines.
He says though a return to the hunt had not been ruled out, it was looking less likely as time went on.
The fire on the 8000-tonne factory ship on February 15 destroyed much of its wiring and electrical gear. One crew member died.
The whaling fleet began moving northward at the weekend after repairs to the Nisshin Maru enabled it to leave the area under its own power.
Greenpeace, which has boats in the area, says the badly damaged mother ship and the rest of the fleet, including whale chasers and the tanker Oriental Bluebird, were heading north on Monday at six knots.
New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter says the Japanese government has indicated that whaling will not resume.
No comments:
Post a Comment