Tag: Japan

The greatest single nuclear contamination of the sea ever seen France's nuclear monitor said on Thursday that the amount of caesium 137 that leaked into the Pacific from the Fukushima disaster was the greatest single nuclear contamination of the sea ever seen.But, confirming previous assessments, it said caesium levels had been hugely diluted by ocean currents and, except for near-shore species, posed no discernible threat.From March 21 to mid-July, 27.1 peta becquerels of caesium 137 entered the sea, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) said.One peta becquerel is a million billion bequerels, or 10 to the power of 15.Of the total, 82 percent entered the sea before April 8, through water that was pumped into the Fukushima's damaged reactor units in a bid to cool them down, it said."This is the biggest single outflow of man-made radionuclides to the marine environment ever observed," the agency said in a press release.Caesium is a slow-decaying element, taking 30 years to lose half of its radioactivity.The IRSN said large quantities of iodine 131 also entered the sea as a result of the disaster, caused by the March 11 9.0-magnitude quake that occurred off northeastern Japan.But iodine 131 decays quickly, having ...

Japan Update The situation in Fukushima is still, at present, a cause for concern. Merchant shipping operating within Japanese waters are recommended to adhere to the navigational warnings broadcasted by Japanese authorities including monitoring all NAVAREA warnings issued through marine radio broadcasts, NAVTEX transmissions and satellite communications.The Government of Japan is still enforcing a mandatory exclusion zone around the damaged nuclear facility at Fukushima with a radius extending 20 kilometres seaward from the facility. However, certain flag states including Australia are stating that merchant shipping should avoid the facility with an cautionary zone extending seaward from the facility by a minimum of 30 kilometres.It is known that certain shipping companies have imposed their own cautionary zone for their ships in excess of 100 kilometres. It is recommended that ships should comply as a minimum with their own flag state's guidance and that of the Japanese authorities.The Japanese authorities are continuing to monitor radiation levels within Tokyo Bay as well as those surrounding ports in Japan. A copy of up to date radiation levels can be found attached to this email. At present, the radiation levels appear to be within safe limits and currently there are no travel restrictions for aviation ...

The biggest proof that the debris is from the Japanese tsunami is a fishing boat Up to 20 million tons of tsunami debris floating from Japan could arrive on Hawaii's shores by early 2013, before reaching the West Coast, according to estimates by University of Hawaii scientists.A Russian training ship spotted the junk - including a refrigerator, a television set and other appliances - in an area of the Pacific Ocean where the scientists from the university's International Pacific Research Center predicted it would be. The biggest proof that the debris is from the Japanese tsunami is a fishing boat that's been traced to the Fukushima Prefecture, the area hardest hit by the March 11 disaster.Jan Hafner, a scientific computer programmer, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that researchers' projections show the debris would reach the coasts of Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Canada around 2014.They estimate the debris field is spread out across an area that's roughly 2,000 miles long and 1,000 miles wide located between Japan and Midway Atoll, where pieces could wash up in January. Just how much has already sunk and what portion is still floating is unknown."It's a common misconception it's like one mat that you ...

12-meter section of the keel and rows of planks The wreck of a ship believed to have been part of the ill-fated attempts by Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China in the 13th century, to invade Japan has been found lying relatively intact under the seabed off Nagasaki Prefecture, a team of Japanese researchers said Monday.It is the first wreck linked to the invasion attempts to have been discovered in Japan with much of the hull still intact, including a 12-meter section of the keel and rows of planks 10 cm thick and 15 to 25 cm wide attached to the keel, according to University of the Ryukyus professor Yoshifumi Ikeda and his team.Discovered about 1 meter under the seabed in waters 20 to 25 meters deep off Takashima Island in Matsuura, Nagasaki, the wreck of the vessel, believed to have been over 20 meters long, is expected to provide archeologists with crucial information on the Mongol attacks in 1274 and 1281, which until now have been known mostly from documents and drawings."I believe we will be able to understand more about shipbuilding skills at the time as well as the actual situation of exchanges in East Asia," Ikeda ...

On 11 October, 2011 in Tokyo Leading Classification Society ClassNK and Japan's National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) brought some of the world's leading specialists on structural safety to Tokyo for an international workshop on risk-based assessment of ship safety held jointly by the two organizations in Tokyo on 11 October, 2011.The event, which included presentations from top experts from the IMO and Europe's leading maritime universities as well as leading researchers from NMRI and ClassNK, drew over 100 attendees from throughout Japan's maritime industry.In addition to Q&A sessions held after each speaker's presentation, all of the presenters took part in a lively panel discussion on damage stability at the end of the event. While the panel discussion touched on a wide variety of important structural and technical subjects, the impact of bottom damage on ship safety proved to be one of the hottest topics. As a result of the intense discussion, the expert panelists confirmed the following important points: New IMO standards should be based on both goal-based and risk-based approaches. It would be possible to use probabilistic approaches to develop bottom damage stability requirements. In addition to these discussions, a number of other important points were raised during the ...

Concerns for the threats of violence The United States deeply regrets that Japan has decided to continue its controversial whaling in the Southern Ocean. The United States also expresses its deep concern about the possibility of violence in connection with such whaling."We are very concerned about Japan continuing its whaling program in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary," said Monica Medina, U.S. commissioner to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and principal deputy under secretary of commerce for NOAA. "These catches will only increase the growing friction within the IWC over how to deal with the large number of whales that continue to be killed while a moratorium remains in place. There is no reason to kill these creatures in order to learn about them. All the necessary science that we need for the management of whales can be achieved using non-lethal techniques."The United States is also concerned by statements by anti-whaling activists that suggest life-threatening tactics would be employed during protest activities in the Southern Ocean."The safety of vessels and life at sea is the highest priority for the United States." said Medina. "I ask all parties to respect the Commission's wishes and immediately refrain from any acts at sea that risk ...

Views on piracy in Somalia, climate change and the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement Japan and Malaysia agreed to deepen their cooperation in maritime security and trade and investment in a meeting between Japanese foreign minister, Koichiro Gemba and his Malaysian counterpart, Anifah Aman at the latter's office on Thursday.They have also exchanged views on North Korea, the United National Security Council reform, South China Sea, piracy in Somalia, climate change and the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, the ministers said at a joint press conference after their meeting."We agreed to cooperate in ensuring the safety of maritime navigation in the Strait of Melaka," Gemba told the press.Gemba is on a four-day visit to Southeast Asian countries including Singapore and Indonesia through Friday.Anifah meanwhile assured Gemba that Malaysia would remain a "reliable friend and partner to Japan in the region and the world."Both ministers also pledged to cooperate further to assist Palestine.Gemba's visit in Malaysia came before the East Asia Summit to be held in Indonesia in November, where Japan plans to call for a multi-lateral negotiation framework in the Association of South East Asian Nation.Source: Xinhua

Japan is dependent on foreign countries for the bulk of its foodstuffs and energy resources In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, about 10 vessels operated by a German shipping company in an alliance with NYK Group canceled port calls at Tokyo and Yokohama on orders from the head office.The Liberian government issued a similar advisory for domestically registered ships. In both cases, the justification given was the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant following the March 11 quake and tsunami."If they had been Japanese ships operated by Japanese shipping companies, they would have engaged in communication with the government, and a situation like this where port calls were called off due to inaccurate information would probably never have happened," says a transport ministry official.The Japanese government used channels such as foreign embassies to declare that Tokyo and Yokohama were safe and the Liberian government immediately lifted the warning, so there was no actual harm done. Even so, it was another month before the German shipping company resumed calls at those ports.NYK Group's fleet has decreased annually since it peaked at 1,580 vessels in 1972, and in 2004 it dropped below 100 ships. The number ...

A type-approved ballast water treatment able to treat ballast water up to 500 cm/h Japan's Toko Kaiun Kaisha is incorporating a type-approved ballast water treatment system from US-based Severn Trent De Nora for two of its new bulk carriers.The two bulk carriers of 12,000 dwt each, built at Sasaki Shipbuilding in Japan, is installing the Balpure system, type-approved by IMO regulations.Each Balpure system is capable of treating ballast water flow rates of up to 500 cubic metres per hour. Installation has been completed on one of the vessels which will be delivered to its operator Daiichi Chuo Kisen Kaisha on 7 October."The system's slip stream treatment approach, flexible footprint and ability to scale up to meet increased flow rate capacities make Balpure the ideal ballast water treatment solution in the market for new vessels," said Marwan Nesicolaci, vice president of international sales and business development for Severn Trent De Nora.Source: Seatrade Asia

None of its crew members was injured A Japanese chemical tanker came under rocket attack from a suspected pirate boat in the Red Sea but none of its crew members was injured, the Japanese transport ministry said Thursday.The Panamanian-registered 16,222-ton Ginga Bobcat was fired upon by the small boat after a 15-minute chase which started at around 3:30 p.m. local time Wednesday, the ministry said.A rocket-propelled grenade left a hole 10 centimeters across, in the bridge of the tanker which was operated by Tokyo Marine Co, the ministry said.The tanker, with a crew from Bangladesh, safely continued its journey, the ministry said. Kyodo news agency said it was carrying phosphoric acid from Morocco to India.About 45 minutes before the incident, another chemical tanker operated by the same Tokyo-based company was chased and fired upon by a small boat in nearby waters close to Yemen, the ministry said.But the earlier attack did not hit the tanker or its crew.The two attacks were believed to have been made by pirates, a ministry official said.Source: Japan Today