Appeal by Oceans Coaltiolition

Appeal by The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coaltion - Nisshin Maru

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition has written to Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties to take action to prevent risk from the environment by the Nisshin Maru.

The letter from ASOCs Executive Director, Jim Barnes, points out that Antarctic Parties have prime responsibility for the environment in the Antarctic Treaty Area. The Antarctic Treaty Area includes all the area south of 60 degrees south which cover all of the Ross Sea.

The letter notes that the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza is the nearest vessel capable of safely towing the Nisshin Maru safely out of the Antarctic Treaty Area.

New Zealand is one of 28 Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty. The Antarctic Environment Protocol entered into force on January 14, 1998. An annex on liability was adopted by Treaty Parties in Stockholm in 2005.

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) is a global coalition of environmental non-governmental organisations with more than 150 members in over 40 countries worldwide. ASOC has worked since 1978 to ensure that the AntarcticContinent, its surrounding islands and the great Southern Ocean survive as the world's last unspoiled wilderness, a global commons forthe heritage of future generations. ASOC is supported entirely through donations from individual supporters around the world, dues from its members, and grants from foundations.

ASOC members in New Zealand include Environment and Conservation Organisations (ECO), Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, and Greenpeace.

ASOC maintains a Secretariat in Washington DC, USA - and a global website (http://www.asoc.org), which contains all ASOC papers produced in recent years, a list of staff and member groups, and links to many other relevant sites, including national programs and SCAR. There are ASOC member groups located in most Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCPs).

ASOC campaigns are coordinated by a team of specialised representatives located in: Asia (Seoul, South Korea), Australia-New Zealand (Canberra, Australia), Europe (Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Barcelona, Spain), South America (Puerto Madryn, Argentina), and Southern Africa (Cape Town, South Africa).

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