A ship ran aground in a northern Japan harbour, then split in two and was leaking oil, but there were no injuries among the 21 crew, the Japan Coast Guard said.
Specifically, the 39,910-tonne Panamanian-registdered vessel, the “Crimson Polaris,” was carrying wood chips when it ran aground on Wednesday morning in Hachinohe harbour.
It managed to free itself, but due to poor weather was unable to move far and ended up anchoring about 4 km (2.4 miles) out from the port.
The vessel, which was at the end of a voyage from Thailand, split in two early on Thursday, the Coast Guard said.
An oil slick 5.1 km long by about 1 km wide was visible later in the day, but containment measures were being taken by patrol boats.
The vessel’s two parts have not moved and are being closely monitored by patrol boats, and by late afternoon there had been no apparent major change in its situation, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
Following the situation, the vessel’s operator, NYK Line, noted:
The hull of the vessel, a dedicated wood-chip carrier chartered by NYK, split in two at 4:15 am on August 12, and oil from the vessel has spilt into the ocean. The amount is currently under investigation. The split hull is about 4 kilometers offshore, and the on-site response is being carried out by Japan Coast Guard patrol boats, tugboats, etc.
Concluding, NYK has organized a crisis management center led by NYK president Hitoshi Nagasawa to rapidly address the situation. Company personnel have been sent to the site, and necessary support will be provided to the shipowner and ship-management company.