A Japanese whaling ship that triggered a high-seas showdown with environmental groups and suffered a deadly fire returned to port yesterday with a catch of 508 whales, despite having to cut its annual hunt short after the accident.
The homecoming, however, was dogged with questions, as authorities prepared to investigate the below-deck blaze that killed a sailor and crippled the ship as well as the anti-whaling protests that had earlier tried to block the hunt.
Journalists were being barred from the Tokyo wharf where the processing ship Nisshin Maru docked with its crew of 149. Japan's Fisheries said it would hold a news conference only next week after the investigation has progressed.
The black-and-red hulled ship, with the word "research" emblazoned just above the waterline, slipped into port flanked by about 10 patrol boats for security, but there was no immediate sign of protests in the area.
The Nissin Maru's return brings an early end this year's hunt in the waters off Antarctica, which had been scheduled to continue through the end of March. It was the first time in 20 years that Japan had to abort its whaling mission.
Still, the six-vessel fleet managed to kill 508 whales out of a target of 860.
Japan says it needs the animals for scientific research, but the meat will be sold to market where it is snapped up as a culinary delicacy.
The fire aboard the Nisshin Maru broke out last month, killing one crew member and leaving the ship unable to sail under its own power for 10 days.
The accident prompted protests from the New Zealand government and from the environmental group Greenpeace over potential oil and chemical spills.
The Nisshin Maru was eventually repaired and able to return to Japan.
It is the second ship in the fleet to come home.
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