KEY POINTS:
Crew aboard the damaged Japanese whaling ship the Nisshin Maru, crippled in Antarctic waters, have recovered the body of missing crewman Kazutaka Makita, the Japanese government-affiliated Institute of Cetacean Research said this afternoon.
Spokesman Glenn Inwood said it wasn't yet clear where Mr Makita's body was found.
The ship is back on an even keel after portable pumps were used to pump out water poured onto a fire.
However, the ship is dead in the water in the Ross Sea off Antarctica with no electricity or generators and only limited communications.
Its main engines were also out of action and it could not sail under its own power.
The Nisshin Maru sent out a distress call early on Thursday after a fire erupted below decks where whale carcasses are taken to be processed.
It was soon established that Mr Makita, 27, was missing.
"I can't confirm where his body was found," Mr Inwood said. "All I have been told is that they have recovered the body of Mr Makita.
"It is very sad for the crew and everyone at the ICR," he said.
The ship was abandoned on Thursday except for 20 crew who stayed on board to fight the fight a fire in an enclosed space below decks.
That space was still very hot and could not be opened.
Several ships, among them the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, the American Coastguard icebreaker Polar Sea and two ships from the Japanese whaling fleet, were in the area.
NZPA understood there had been discussions at the highest level after the Japanese government ordered the skipper of the Nisshin Maru not to accept help from Greenpeace.
Esperanza is a former Russian firefighting ship and one of the better equipped ships for towing.
Overnight the Nisshin Maru crew pumped out the water used in the firefighting and the three-degree list the ship had taken on after the fire had corrected itself.
"Everything is hunky dory at the moment and we want it to stay that way but we can't be guaranteed it will stay that way," said Maritime New Zealand spokesman, Steve Corbett.
He said because the ship was virtually dead in the water, the main worry was that it could founder if the sea turned rough.
The ship had about 1000 tonnes of fuel oil and a lot of chemicals used for processing whale meat. It was also understood to have a lot of whale meat in the hold.
If it sank it could create an ecological disaster.
He said the crew had not been able to fully assess the damage.
"It is extremely unlikely they will be able to restore full power."
He said the big risk to the ship was the weather turning nasty.
It was secured to two other vessels in the fleet but they would have only limited control if the seas rose and it may not be possible to keep it bow first into the sea.
For that reason the New Zealand Government wanted the ship towed north to give it plenty of room. It was about 100 nautical miles off the coast of Antarctica.
It would also remove the risk of it being pushed aground on the coast.
Mr Corbett said there were "diplomatic efforts" to have the vessel removed from the area but it was a "grey area" on whether it could be forced to accept the offer of a tow from Greenpeace.
"There are some protocols but whether they can be applied in this situation...it is pretty complicated," Mr Corbett said.
The ship was in international waters although New Zealand had responsibility for search and rescue missions.
Mr Corbett said the chances of it being towed to New Zealand were remote.
The preference was for it to be towed north so it was clear of Ross Sea and the risk of an ecological disaster was significantly reduced.
It could then wait until a tug arrived to tow it back to Japan.
"The quicker they can get out of that area the better."
He said the only power on the ship was portable generators from other ships in the fleet.
The fire was thought to have damaged a main electrical switchboard.
It was also thought communications were with the other ships in the fleet through portable very high frequency (VHF) hand held radios, not the ship's own communications gear.
Esperanza offered to help the stricken ship when it arrived at the scene about 7am today.
Greenpeace said the Japanese acknowledged the offer and asked them to stand by.
Greenpeace said the weather was clear but there were icebergs and loose ice around. Weather reports indicated the weather could worsen in the next couple of days.
The Esperanza helicopter had done an initial aerial assessment, said Greenpeace.
- NZPA
