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The Greenpeace ship immediately offered emergency assistance to the Nisshin Maru. Messages were exchanged by flag between the two ships. The Nisshin Maru indicated that the fire was under control. The Arctic Sunrise was in the area after a visit to Ponapei (Micronesia).

"Greenpeace is relieved to confirm that the crew of the Nisshin Maru is safe now. The events of the past days however put in doubt whether Japan's 'scientific' whaling program will go ahead this year," said John Frizell of Greenpeace International.

According to a Reuters report published on Tuesday from Tokyo, the Japanese 'whaling fleet of five ships may return home early because of a fire that disabled the only ship able to process the meat'. "If this information is confirmed by the Japanese authorities, the whales of the Southern Ocean will enjoy their first year without hunting since Antarctic whaling began in 1904", added Frizell.

Japanese officials claim that the Antarctic whale hunt is for scientific research but every year the whale meat is sold on the open market for tens of millions of dollars. The 1700 tonnes of whale meat from last year's "research" hunt sold in Japanese fish markets for an estimated US$50 million.

"To call this scientific research is an insult to science," said Frizell. "There is no need to kill whales to study them. We have been campaigning against whaling for 25 years and we remain committed to ensuring that commercial whaling draped in the cloak of "science" is stopped."

Japan has stepped up its efforts to resume full-scale commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica, despite the fact that is has been made into an international sanctuary for whales in 1994 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), forbidding all commercial whaling in the area. At that time, Japan was the only member of the IWC to formally object to the Antarctic whale sanctuary.

Four other ships are still clustered around the crippled factory ship. One of these, the Yushin Maru, is the first new whaling vessel to be built in Japan in 26 years and is on its first voyage. The brand new vessel costs US$12 million, has high-powered engines and incorporates the latest equipment. The Japanese press described the Yushin Maru as "a symbol for the reopening of whaling" (1).

"The Japanese Government is investing millions of dollars in the whaling industry", said Frizell. There is no doubt this research is just commercial whaling in disguise". The Japanese Government also subsidises whale meat promotional drives since discovering that many young people don't like it.

The most recent meeting of the IWC formally noted "the grave concerns of eminent members of the international scientific community over the continuation of lethal whale research programs". The IWC has also noted that the results of Japan's scientific program are not required for the management of whales.

This is not the only example of the Japan's fishing industry using "science" as a disguise for commercial activities. Earlier this year, when an international fisheries management body refused to increase the quota for the critically endangered southern bluefin tuna, Japan announced a "scientific fishing" program to take an extra 1,400 tonnes of the fish.

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