Geoff Thompson, ABC News 19 Jan 09;
A Japanese whaling ship did receive repairs at an Indonesian port last week, contrary to reports that local authorities refused the Yushin Maru 2 permission to dock.
Late last week conservationists in Indonesia and Australia were applauding a reported decision by port authorities in Surabaya to refuse the Japanese whaling ship the Yushin Maru 2 permission to dock for repairs to its broken propeller.
The ship did leave the dock last Thursday after protests earlier in the week.
A spokesman for the state-owned Surabaya shipyard PT Pal now says that the necessary repairs had already taken place, the day before the ship left.
A spokesman for the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta has also confirmed that a consular representative was at the dock last week to witness the repairs.
