Asia/Pacific News
Environmental Group Says Whaling Vessel Spilled Fuel
American anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd claims to have caught the fuel tanker for the Japanese whaling fleet spilling fuel in Antarctic waters, but Japanese officials are firing back, calling the organisation's efforts to disrupt whaling operations dangerous.
Luis Pinho, captain of the Sea Shepherd's SSS Sam Simon said his ship was pursuing the tanker, the Sun Laurel, and observed it operating at unsafe speeds in areas with icebergs and poor visibility.
He said the Sam Simon crew could smell diesel from the wake of the vessel.
"We collected samples that we have onboard which exhale an odor of oil," he said.
"We are very concerned, for an oil spill in these pristine Antarctic waters would have a catastrophic effect on the Antarctic wilderness."
The environmental group said its crew observed two ships being refuelled from the Sun Laurel in Australian Antarctic Territory, and said it believes the tanker is carrying heavy fuel oil (HFO) in breach of MARPOL ANNEX 1 Regulation 43.
Sea Shepherd called on the Australian government to take action against the Japanese ships.
In January, Tony Burke, Australia's environment minister, said the government "strongly objected" to a Japanese whaling vessel passing through Australian waters, where whaling is banned, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Japan's agriculture, forestry, and fisheries minister said Sea Shepherd's operation, in which it positioned itself between two Japanese ships, temporarily preventing the transfer of a harpooned whale, was "an unforgivable act that threatens legitimate whaling activities and the lives of crew members," the Japan Daily Press reports.
