Whale meat cargo must come to NZ (by law; meat would be confiscated)

[Barrett808]

Whale meat cargo must come to NZ
By GREG MEYLAN - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 18 February 2007

A Japanese whaling ship disabled near Antarctica is obliged to head for a New Zealand port despite carrying a banned cargo of whale meat, an international law expert says.

...

Carter said he would not like to see "a toxic vessel full of oil and whale meat" in New Zealand.

But maritime law expert Duncan Currie said international conventions meant it should be towed as soon as possible to the nearest port, either Bluff or Lyttelton, to mitigate the pollution risk.

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, once the ship has docked, the whale meat would not be permitted to leave again.

Carter said he believed the Japanese government would do what it could to avoid the ship coming to New Zealand and was likely to send a tug south from Japan and attempt to tow the boat home.

(more)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/3966286a11.html