Esperanza ready to tow the Nisshin Maru out of danger - and prevent environmental disaster | Home | Condolences from the Esperanza

Glad the Esperanze arrived!

I still hope the ship owners take the generous offer from Greenpeace to tow the Nisshin Maru away from this area, if only as a precautionary action. The Ross Sea isn't lake Geneva! There must be some people working for the ICR or on the fleet who genuine care for the Antarctic environment, let's see if they win it from the marketing drones.

Are you guys sure there isn't any outside damage on the portside of the Nisshin Maru (the side now blocked by the Oriental Bluebird)? On the photos on the ICR site some of the white letters on the side of the ship don't look that white any more.

Well done Esperanza. I really hope the Japanese crew accept your genuine offer of assistance especially with regards the potential pollution risk. Is there no legislation within the Antarctic Treaty that makes provision for this kind of situation? (I have refrained from calling it a disaster)Hope the situation can be resolved amicably.
Stick at it and the very best of British to you all.
Regards Kev Coleman Ocean Defender

ICR spokesperson Glen Inwood, bitter as always, rather waits six or seven days for a salvage tug to arrive instead of taking up on the offer of a crew and ship perfect for the job: getting a environmental time bomb out of one of the worlds most pristine areas. Refusing this offer of help outright and for any situation is simply criminal.

The Japanese government should be truly ashamed of itself if they don't criticize this. The Nisshin Maru is sailing under a Japanese flag and the government should point out that to the ships owner that they should accept any offer of help when needed.

"Glen Inwood says the crew will assess whether the vessel can move under its own steam when the missing crewman is found, or needs to be towed. He says the company would never consider an offer of help from Greenpeace."

Hi Kevin, as we posted here

"Under the Antarctic Liability Annex to the Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. (Annex VI to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty Liability arising from Environmental Emergencies) the fire and subsequent events constitute an environmental emergency. In the event that an operator does not take prompt and effective response action, other Parties are encouraged to take such action. It is also clear that significant and harmful impact to the Antarctic environment is imminent and it would be reasonable in all the circumstances to take immediate response action, under Article 5(3)(a) of the Liability Annex."

The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat

Dave,
Thank you, and all the crew, for everything your do down there on behalf of us all, sir. Be careful, and good luck.
Mark

Full support for your rescue mission, good luck and take care,
David

Thank you and good luck!

keep up the good work!

Hello Dave!



I want to thank you and everyone on the Esperanza for always making us proud back home. Your thoughtfulness and goodwill have shown through every development of this sad, very important campaign, and it has been heartening to see the part your principled action plays in its complex situations.



It sure does seem like a good idea to get the Nisshin Maru out of the Southern Ocean before the weather turns bad. Hopefully your presence down there can prevent further tragedy.



Lots of people in Brooklyn are thinking of you, the crew, and everyone down there in the Southern Ocean.



Peace!

Remarkable photos. I hope that ship accepts your offer for assistance and puts differences aside. Thank you for your work and patience.

great work guys

To you all on the Esperanza a big thankyou for your continuing efforts and cast iron resolve to face up to these whaling wallies. You represent a vast cohort of people like myself who place our unsung voice and opinions in your safe hands..
It is tragic that a life as been lost at sea especially when there is no need for them to actually be there. Your offer of help to the stricken whaling ship is in itself a morale victory against the backdrop of being called 'terrorists' by the Japanese governement. (Unless Bin Laden is in and around the area chilling with the still).
In reality they are the 'terrorists' undertaking a task that their own people have signalled they do not support..
Anyhow again my best wishes to one and all and be safe

Hi Dave and the crew
As always I am proud of you Greenpeace for doing the right thing and offering assistance. Lets hope that no environmental catastrophe will happen due to their stubborness.
Keep up the good work!
Lots og hugs from Ebba and baby

saw Esperanza on the BBC earlier!

from Ireland, home land, best of luck Dave, amazing to read the story. There is no coverage about it in the Irish press, will have to circulate press release

sláinte

Mirenma

Whats true in this story GP ? or is it crap ?

In promoting their theme that Japanese whale eating culture must be respected, a video distributed by Greenpeace depicts a Greenpeacer visiting a Japanese grandmother in her home. He sits down and eats whale with her, and politely tells her that is was delicious.

"We are making it very clear that we have no problem with Japanese culture or eating whale," said Emiliano Ezcurra, an Argentinian Greenpeace activist who helped design the campaign.

Ezcurra said that Greenpeace has no problem with whaling on Japan's coast but opposes the slaughter of the whales in the Southern Oceans Whale Sanctuary.

hopefully the japanese will come round to look at the big environmental picture and take you up on your offer of assistance. keep up the good work, best wishes to all on board. wish i could be out there with you guys.

Hey Paul -

While Emiliano did say what you quote above, what he was trying to say was unfortunately 'lost in translation'. He had no intention of advocating eating whale meat, he was making reference to the elderly lady in the Whale Love Wagon episode, who we will not condemn for her view - we simply want to change her mind!

The same media article says that Emiliano said that Greenpeace has no problem with whaling on Japan's coast. That reporting was not a fair reflection of his comments, nor does it reflect the view of Greenpeace. We do not oppose local subsistence hunting, but oppose all commercial whaling and Japanese coastal whaling can be considered commercial whaling.

Pepijn,
I doubt that the discolouration, obvious in the photos released by ICR, is the seat of the fire.

http://www.icrwhale.org/08/s/Nisshin-maru2.htm

Last year, Seashepherd released photos showing a similar effect on the port side of Nisshin-maru. Greenpeace must have access to such photos, or footage.