Japanese whale refuses Greens help

The crippled Japanese whaling ship Nisshin Maru which lost a crew member overboard in an accident last week is refusing offers from Greenpeace to tow it from the Ross Sea off Antarctica.

The 8000-tonne vessel was badly damaged by a fire on Thursday and authorities are concerned large amounts of oil aboard could leak and affect the world's largest penguin breeding rookeries.

The body of crew member Kazutaka Makita, 27, who was reported missing immediately after the fire, was recovered in Antarctic waters today.

Greenpeace ship Esperanza reached the Japanese vessel early today, but so far the Japanese had refused offers to tow the stricken ship to safety, Greenpeace chief executive Steve Shellhorn said.

"Our ship has made an offer to tow the vessel to New Zealand, but so far that offer has been refused,'' Mr Shellhorn said.

"But our ships are in dialogue, and the Japanese vessel has asked us to provide some ice reports, because we have a helicopter.'' A fire aboard a Japanese whaling ship in the Ross Sea in Antarctica has left one crewman missing.

The Nisshin Maru sent out a distress call early on Thursday, saying most of the crew had abandoned ship, with a few staying on board to fight the fire.

The blaze is believed to have started in the engine room of the 8,000 tonne vessel.

The Nisshin Maru was part of a Japanese whaling fleet which has been tracked in Antarctic waters by the environmental group, Sea Shepherd.

Earlier this week, a whaler and a protest ship collided, but a spokesman for New Zealand's Environment Minister, Chris Carter, says the fire is unconnected to the protest action.

"This appears to be some kind of mechanical fault, absolutely nothing to do with environmental groups," he said.

The Japanese Fisheries Agency labelled anti-whaling vessels as "environmental terrorists" and said it will refuse their help for its distressed vessel in Antarctica.

Agency deputy director Hideki Moronuki issued a plea for help to the Australian and New Zealand governments after Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru caught fire in Antarctica's Ross Sea early today.

"Because of this emergency situation, I cordially ask the Australian government as well as the New Zealand government to extend their kindest co-operation (to help)," Mr Moronuki has said on ABC radio.

But when asked if the vessel should accept help from anti-whaling vessels, Mr Moronuki answered: "No, they are terrorists".

Greenpeace vessel Esperanza was the first to respond to the factory ship's distress message, but was told its help was not required.

"We are standing by and ready to assist at any time," Greenpeace spokeswoman Sara Holden said.