Japanese whaler finally leaving Antarctic seas

Japanese whaler finally leaving Antarctic seas
New Zealand's leader said it had been 'huge risk' to environment

Updated: 1 hour ago
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A Japanese whaling ship that drifted powerless for nine days near the world's biggest penguin breeding ground had posed a huge risk to the pristine Antarctic environment, New Zealand's prime minister said Monday.

The Nisshin Maru began moving away from the Antarctic coast under its own power Sunday, 10 days after being crippled by fire. The 8,000-ton whale-meat processing ship, which is carrying 343,000 gallons of fuel oil, had been drifting in the Ross Sea lashed to two other whaling fleet boats.

"When you have a boat disabled like that, with a chance it could sink and go down with all that fuel on board — and there was a lot of it — that poses a huge risk to the Antarctic environment," New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said Monday.

"We consider the Antarctic environment was put at risk," she told TV One news, rejecting claims by the ship's owners that New Zealand had exaggerated the risk of a major environmental mishap.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17345896/

According to the article, the cetacean institute is still
checking out the ship's systems to decide whether to leave
or continue the hunt.

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