Nisshin Maru
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Nisshin Maru on February 16, 2007. |
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| Nisshin Maru | |
| Year built: | 1987[1] |
| Tonnage: | 8,030 gross tons[1] |
| Length: | 129.580 metres (overall)[1] |
| Breadth: | 19.4 metres (moulded)[1] |
| Owner: | Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, Ltd.[2] |
| Registry: | Japan[1] |
The 8,000-ton vessel Nisshin Maru (Japanese: 日新丸) is the largest ship of the Japanese whaling fleet.
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[edit] 2007 Antarctic voyage
A major fire in the ship's processing factory broke out on 15 February 2007 while in Antarctic waters. The resulting damage caused the ship to be temporarily disabled, all while continuing to carry approximately 1,000 tons of oil. This incident took place within the New Zealand Search and Rescue Region.[3] One person was killed in the fire.[4]
Citing environmental concerns, specifically the disabled ship's proximity to Cape Adare, Antarctica and the world's largest Adelie Penguin rookery, New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter joined international citizens' groups in urgently requesting that the ship be towed away.[5] Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), which administers the ship with the Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha, refused offers of a tow from the Greenpeace ship MY Esperanza, which had been nearby and monitoring the situation since 17 February. On February 28, the ICR released a statement on its decision to cut short its Antarctic whale hunt for 2006/2007 due to unrecoverable equipment, and the Nisshin Maru departed for Japan.
[edit] Other incidents
The Nisshin Maru and Greenpeace's MY Arctic Sunrise collided in December 1999 and in January 2006. Greenpeace claimed their ship was rammed by the Japanese whaling vessel.[6] Counterclaims of Greenpeace ramming the Nisshin Maru were also made and, extended video footage[7] of the incident was made available for public viewing by ICR. Paul Watson, captain of the activist ship Sea Shepherd has described the crew of the Nisshin Maru as "cetacean serial killers" in an 2008 interview in The Guardian.
[edit] Trivia
The Matthew Barney experimental film Drawing Restraint 9 was set aboard the Nisshin Maru.
[edit] See also
- Whaling in Japan
- Institute of Cetacean Research
- Greenpeace
- Sea Shepherd
- Antarctica
- International Whaling Commission
- Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Lloyd's Register - Fairplay, access date February 20, 2007
- ^ "Nisshin Maru", ClassNK Register of Ships.
- ^ "Search and rescue", Aeronautical Information Publication New Zealand, July 06, 2006.
- ^ Japan whaler finally heading home? - CNN - Obtained March 26, 2007.
- ^ New Zealand demands Japan urgently move its stricken whaler from Antarctic coast - International Herald Tribune
- ^ Greenpeace International, "Greenpeace ship rammed by whalers", Greenpeace Defending Our Oceans, accessed 19 February 2007.
- ^ http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/GPAS2.mpg
