The Yushin Maru #2 is in the port of Surabaya, Indonesia awaiting repairs to an ice damaged propeller. The vessel has denied being a whaling ship to Indonesian authorities. The ship's captain is arguing that the Yushin Maru #2 is involved with research and does not even have a harpoon onboard. Indonesian officials apparently were unable to see a harpoon on the vessel.

The vessel is denied entry to Australian and New Zealand ports because of its illegal whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Proof of the involvement of the Yushin Maru #2in illegal lethal whaling can be found on the website of the Institute for Cetacean Research where the ship is listed as one of the three harpoon vessels of the Japanese whaling fleet.

On December 20th, the crew of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin observed and photographed the Yushin Maru #2 with the harpoon clearly seen on the bow covered in a green tarp with the shape of the harpoon quite apparent. 

The Japanese harpoon whaling vessel the Yushin Maru No. 2, clearly showing 
a covered harpoon on the bow. 110:09AM GMT +11, December 20, 2008. 
Photo by Adam Lau/Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

The Sea Shepherd crew also filmed and photographed the Yushin Maru #2 in January 2008 with the harpoon clearly seen.

The Japanese harpoon whaling vessel the Yushin Maru No. 2
showing a harpoon on the bow, January 15, 2008

This was also the same ship that two Sea Shepherd crew boarded to deliver a message that the whaling fleet was in violation of an Australian Federal Court order prohibiting whaling in the waters of the Australian Antarctic Territory.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is requesting that the government of Australia provide information to the government of Indonesia to confirm that Japanese whaling vessels cannot use Australian ports for refueling and repairs. In the meantime, Indonesian officials might ask the Captain of the Yushin Maru #2 why he voyaged some 3,000 miles to Surabaya when he could have had closer access to the ports of Hobart, Adelaide or Fremantle.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is working with Jakarta Animal Aid and Earth Island Institute to delay any repairs to the Yushin Maru #2 and to communicate with Indonesian officials on the illegal activities of this outlaw whaler presently in the port of Surabaya.