The Government is being urged to take Japan to an international court to stop the killing of whales in the Southern Ocean. (ABC TV)
The Australian Government is being urged not to allow a Japanese whaling ship to refuel when it docks in Hobart over the weekend.
The environmental lobby group, Greenpeace, says the whaling ship Keiko Maru will be arriving in Hobart on Christmas Eve to deliver a sick crew member to hospital.
Greenpeace CEO Steve Shallhorn says the Australian Government should not allow the ship to return to whaling in the Southern Ocean.
"The Australian Government does have control over port authorities and we believe it does have the possibility to refuse to allow the ship to be refuelled," he said.
He says the Federal Government should use the opportunity to highlight its opposition to whaling.
"What we want to do is, one, we will not be interfering with the medical evacuation of the ill crew person but what we are going to be doing is putting pressure on the Australian Government to make sure the ship does not return to the killing grounds south of Australia," he said.
Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell says the Government is opposed to commercial whaling but says Greenpeace's action against Japanese whaling ships could be "counter-productive".
Senator Campbell has told AM the protest might not achieve its aim.
"In some respects it can be counter-productive although I share the passion, I share their objective, we share of the objective of trying to stop whaling," he said.
The Federal Opposition is calling on the Government to take Japan to an international court to stop the killing of whales in the Southern Ocean.
Senator Campbell says he is trying to increase diplomatic pressure on Japan by building a coalition of anti-whaling nations.
But Labor's Anthony Albanese says more needs to be done as the Japanese fleet is hunting inside an Australian whale sanctuary.
"It's quite clear that the Government needs to get serious about this, take Japan and other whaling nations to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea," he said.
"There's legal advice that suggests that could well be successful."
Activists
Meanwhile, two crews of Greenpeace activists will continue a game of cat and mouse with a Japanese whaling fleet today, as they try to prevent the slaughter of whales in Antarctic waters.
Japan hopes to double its harvest of minke whales to 936 this year.
Two Greenpeace ships have been trying to find the Japanese fleet in the Southern Ocean for weeks and located it yesterday.
Expedition leader Shane Rattenbury says the activists had some success interrupting the whaling operation yesterday.
"As soon as the whale is in sight and the catcher's chasing it we will immediately put ourselves and our boats between the whale and the harpoon to confuse the harpooners line of sight and to provide the whale with an opportunity to escape and to shield the whale from the harpoon," he said.
Mr Rattenbury says no whales have been killed since Greenpeace found the fleet.
"We will do our best we think we can succeed in saving some whales."
A Japanese whaling ship, the Keiko Maru, will be docking in Hobart on December 24 to transfer a sick crew member to hospital. The crew member is suffering from appendicitis.

Greenpeace has called on the Australian government to prevent the ship from refuelling. The government stated it is opposed to commercial whaling, but that taking such action would be "counter-productive". Greenpeace CEO Steve Shallhorn said that it is an opportunity for Australia to demonstrate its opposition. "The Australian Government does have control over port authorities and we believe it does have the possibility to refuse to allow the ship to be refuelled," he said.

Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell supports the intention of Greenpeace activists, but believes that such a protest would not be helpful. "In some respects it can be counter-productive although I share the passion, I share their objective, we share of the objective of trying to stop whaling," he said.

Japan claims that its whaling activities in the Southern Ocean are for scientific purposes, and reject suggestions that the catch is commercial. "Anti-whaling proponents have tried to label the research catch as commercial whaling in disguise, but this is a tactic to discredit the research effort," says the Question and Answer section of the Japan Whaling Association website.