日本捕鯨船日新丸號10天前發生火災，導致船隻嚴重受損以及一名船員罹難，25日該船從羅斯海域再次啟航。日新丸號是日本鯨類研究所捕鯨船隊的補給船隻，該組織總部位於東京，與日本政府關係密切，而日新丸號此次的航行由捕鯨船隊中另外兩艘船艦陪同，朝北部前進。
紐西蘭政府曾擔心日新丸號可能發生燃料或有毒外學物外洩，進而對南極洲最大的企鵝保護區造成污染，現在船隻駛離也讓紐西蘭政府如釋重負。日本雖未明確表示捕鯨船隊是否會繼續進行「以研究為目的」的捕鯨工作，但已按照日本自行訂立的標準，宣佈2007年獵捕配額為935隻小鬚鯨和10隻瀕臨絕種的長鬚鯨。
The Japanese whaling vessel Nisshin Maru restarted its engines and departed the Ross Sea Sunday, 10 days after a fire disabled the ship and claimed the life of one crew member. The Nisshin Maru is the mother ship of a whaling fleet run by the Institute of Cetacean Research, an organization based in Tokyo and affiliated with the Japanese government. Two other vessels of the fleet accompanied the Nisshin Maru northward.
The removal of the ship alleviated fears expressed by the New Zealand government that fuel oil or toxic chemicals would be spilled, contaminating one of the largest penguin colonies in the Antarctic. The Japanese have not stated clearly whether or not the fleet will resume whaling, which they maintain is being conducted for research. The Japanese announced a self-imposed quota of 935 minke whales and 10 endangered fin whales this year.
