Fears for Antarctic after whaling-ship blaze
Officials warned of a potential environmental disaster in Antarctica after a fire erupted on a Japanese whaling ship, leaving it drifting near penguin breeding grounds on the frozen continent’s coast.
New Zealand Conservation Minister Chris Carter, whose country was leading efforts to help the stricken ship, said it was carrying 132,000 gallons of heavy oil and 211,000 gallons of furnace oil and was starting to list from water pumped aboard to fight the fire.
