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back to article Japanese whaler adrift in stormy seas

Japanese whaling vessel the Nisshin Maru - partially evacuated yesterday following an engine-room fire - is still wallowing powerless in Antarctica's stormy Ross Sea, the Daily Telegraph reports. The remaining crew have, with assistance from other whaling fleet vessels, been able to control the blaze and stabilise the 8,000-ton …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ooops

    Just the other day, these whalers were attacking greenpeace vessels with firehoses and generally making their selves unpopular. Now they have a problem, and they don't want any outside help thanks.

    That's ok, their ship might go down and they all end up in the water.

    At night, the whales come ...

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  2. ReallyEvilCanine

    Hardly altruistic

    It's not just the propaganda value the Japanese don't want to give Greenpeace. If the whaler accepts Greenpeace's offer, Greenpeace can hand them a whopping bill as soon as they reach port for a "high seas rescue". The whaler would have no choice but to pay according to international maritime law.

    The East Germans learned this the hard way in the 1970s when the West German "Hanseat" (which had been friendly with them for weeks while fishing near Greenland) offered to tow the East German "Brandenburg" to port after its nets got caught up in the screw. Once in port the friendly West German captain handed them a bill for 100,000 DM (West) for the "high seas rescue". (source: "Fänger & Gefangene", ©1983, 1987 Landolf Scherzer)

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  3. Dave

    Actually, we're there already

    Hi - Dave Walsh, webbie on the Esperanza right now. If I look out the window of the ship's campaign office, I can see the Nisshin Maru. We're standing by.

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  4. leanneThurow

    selfishness

    I feel you would have to be a very selfish person to refuse any help when your ship is ablaze and the crew are in danger. They obviously value their apperance more than the value of a life (I guess that does sum up a whalers characteristics though doesn't it- as a whales life means nothing to them)

    Also-International marintime law-where'd you get that information from! In the law of England past consideration is of no value- so unless Greenpeace demanded a price upright the whalers would not be forced to pay. Can you really see greenpeace worrying about money and politics in a time of urgency? No- because they actually understand a value of a life- unlike the government who seems to now value a life at £1m..... fantastic thinking involved there wasnt there!

    (i'd love to see if Tony blair felt his childrens life was only worth £1m.......)

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