AS THE Japanese fishing vessel with five dead crew on board makes its way to Cork today, a fleet of up to 30 tuna ships is still hovering on the 200 mile Irish territorial limit.
The Naval Service ship, LE Deirdre, is due back on station to monitor movements today, while the Air Corps Casa fishery patrol plane is carrying out daylight surveillance. However, weather conditions were reported to be too bad at the weekend to locate longlining gear which was spotted late last week within Irish waters.
The Air Corps and Naval Service are still on protection duty, following detention of two Japanese vessels for illegal fishing last week. However, the deaths of five Japanese fishermen in a gas leak on a third vessel, the Taisei Maru, some 240 miles off the coast may influence the Government's determination to enforce fishery limits.
As it is, the protection service is under pressure, with no ships available for deployment on the tuna grounds over the weekend. The LE Aisling, which recorded the first arrest last week, has been with the Taisei Maru since Friday night.
Capt David O'Brien, pilot in command of the Air Corps Casa CN-235, said his patrol recorded up to 30 ships between 20 and 59 miles outside the territorial limit on Saturday. All appeared to be longliners, but it was difficult to determine whether they were fishing or not. Longline gear is not attached to the mother ship, but is marked by buoys and radio beacons.
The Japanese ambassador, Mr Takanori Kazuhara, is expected to attend a short ceremony at the naval base in Haulbowline today, when the LE Aisling escorts the Taisei Maru to port with the five dead crew on board.
Following a successful operation to repair its compressors and restart its engines early yesterday some 250 miles off Galway, three of the Aisling crew remained on board while the Japanese ship headed for Cork under its own power.
The Aisling skipper, Lieut Cdr Liam Donaldson, described the weekend's humanitarian effort as "very moving", with five rice bowls placed on the ship's fo'c'sle a constant reminder of the tragedy that had occurred.
A post mortem is to be carried out at Cork University Hospital later today, and it is expected that some of the bodies may be cremated here while some may have flown to Japan at the request of families, who may travel to Ireland.
The five dead have been named in Tokyo as Koji Sato (50), the fishing master; Toshiyuki Kikuta (59), the chief engineer; Hiroshi Abe (58), the bosun; Masayasu Nagamine (55), the chief cook; and Kiyoshi Yoshikiyo (50), the oiler. The Taisei Maru is part of a fleet of 200 tuna longliners working in the north Atlantic.
Weather permitting, a Garda sergeant from Cobh, a Japanese interpreter, a doctor and a Naval Service representative will board the Japanese ship on its arrival off Roche's Point, Cork Harbour, at about 2 p.m.
On berthing at Haulbowline, condolences will be conveyed to the vessel's 16 crew by the acting Flag Officer commanding the Naval Service, Capt Peadar McElhinney, and Cdr Eugene Ryan, senior operations officer. The skipper of the Aisling will also express his sympathies.
The Taisei Maru will then proceed to Cork's Custom House Quay, where it will be re supplied and the crew will be replaced.
The accidents have aroused considerable media interest in Japan, with three of its top television networks due to film today's ceremony at Haulbowline. Ireland, synonymous with rich fishing opportunities, is now regarded as something of a "Bermuda Triangle", given, the sequence of last week's events involving Japanese flag vessels.
The value of the north Atlantic bluefin fishery to Japan was reflected over the weekend in the State's largest ever bail bond demand in a fishery case, lodgment of almost £1 million for the second arrested Japanese vessel, the Soshin Maru. The bond is based on the worth of the 80 tonnes of tuna on board.
However, in spite of frustration expressed by fishing industry organisations at the lack of Irish participation in the tuna fishery there is understood to be some official concern about the effect of the detentions on Japanese Irish relations. Japan bought £16 million of Irish fish exports last year.
