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Japanese Coast News

25 Jan 2023

Cargo Ship Sinks Off Japan, Leaving Two Dead, Nine Missing

(Photo: Japan Coast Guard)

Two people died and nine were missing after a cargo ship sank off southwestern Japan early on Wednesday amid fierce winter winds, the coast guard said, as it continued to search for survivors.Six people who were rescued remained unconscious, while five had revived as of 8:30 p.m. local time (1130 GMT), the Japan Coast Guard said, partly citing information from its South Korean counterpart.The 6,651-tonne Hong Kong-registered Jintian - which had 22 crew on board who were Chinese or Myanmar nationals according to media reports - issued a distress call late on Tuesday…

24 Aug 2021

NYK to Send 110 Workers to Help with Clean-up after Wood-chip Carrier Breaks Apart off Japan

Credit: Japan Coast Guard

Japanese shipping firm NYK plans to send 110 employees in total by September 11 to help with the clean-up at the area where the NYK-chartered Crimson Polaris wood-chip carrier ran aground earlier this month, dropping cargo and spilling oil into the sea as the hull of the vessel split in two.NYK said Tuesday it would make a total of 11 dispatches of 10 employees each by September 11 to assist with the area clean-up."As the charterer of the vessel, NYK has sent company personnel to the site to assist with the clean-up of the cargo and other debris that has washed ashore.

19 Aug 2021

NYK Sends Employees to Help with Cleanup after Vessel Breaks Up Off Japan

Credit: Japanese Coast Guard

Japanese shipping firm NYK has sent ten employees to assist with the area clean-up after the NYK-chartered Crimson Polaris wood-chip carrier last week grounded and split up off the coast of Hachinohe, Japan, spilling oil into the sea.The 2008-built wood-chip carrier that ran aground off Japan last Thursday carried about 1,550 MT of heavy oil and about 130 MT of diesel oil for fuel at the time of the grounding.The 199.9-meter vessel, chartered by NYK from MI-DAS Line split into two pieces and began spilling oil on August 12 at 4:15 a.m.NYK…

12 Aug 2021

Wood-chip Carrier Runs Aground Off Japan. Hull Splits in Two, Oil Spills into Ocean

Credit; Japanese Coast Guard

Crimson Polaris / Credit: Japanese Coast GuardPanama-flagged Crimson Polaris wood-chip carrier ran aground off Hachinohe in Aomori prefecture at around 7:35 am (JST) on August 11, after being swept away by a strong wind while anchored, NYK, the charterer of the vessel, said.The hull of the 199-meter vessel then split in two at 4:15 am on August 12, and oil from the vessel has spilled into the ocean. The amount is currently under investigation, NYK said.The split hull is about 4 kilometers offshore…

31 May 2021

Japanese Cargo Ship Collision: One Crew Member Feared Dead

A crew member of a Japanese cargo ship was feared dead on Sunday after he was recovered near a vessel that had capsized and sunk following a collision in domestic waters, local media reported.Japanese coast guard ships and aircraft have been searching since Friday for three missing crew members of the cargo ship after the collision with a Marshall Islands-registered tanker in the Seto Inland Sea.Public broadcaster NHK said the coast guard found the crew member in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest on Sunday morning near the sunk vessel.The Japanese coast guard was not immediately reachable by phone on Sunday.Japan's Transport Safety Board is conducting an investigation on board the chemical tanker…

28 May 2021

Car Carrier Sinks After Collision With Tanker Off Japan; Three Missing

Japanese coast guard ships and aircraft were searching on Friday for three missing crew of a cargo ship that capsized and sank after a collision with a Marshall Islands-registered tanker in the Seto Inland Sea, authorities said.The Byakko sank at about 2:40 a.m.

14 Oct 2020

Japan Says Chinese Vessels Sail Near Disputed Islands

© oasisoasis / Adobe Stock

Japan’s Coast Guard said on Sunday that two Chinese vessels entered what Japan considers its territorial waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea.It marked the 21st time this year that Chinese boats have entered Japanese waters and the first since late August, a Japanese Coast Guard representative said.Japan’s government has complained of “relentless” intrusions in waters around the group of islets claimed by both nations. The contested territory contains islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.Two Chinese Coast Guard ships entered the waters at about 10:45 a.m.

31 Mar 2020

Tech File: Tank Ullage Gauge

With the IMO 2020 sulfur cap in effect from the beginning of this year, the need to measure lighter marine fuels has grown, and Japan-based SEMCO has a tool for the job. In complying with the new regulations, there will be an increasing number of cases in which high transparency and low viscosity compatible fuels such as MGO are supplemented, and in these instances, there has been concern with conventional scales due to past experiences in which it was difficult to get an accurate sounding measurement of tank contents, SEMCO said.

20 Aug 2019

Wallem Bulker Rescues Indonesian Fishermen

Rescued fishermen and ISL Star crew (Photo: Wallem)

ISL Star, a bulk carrier managed by Wallem Group, together with the U.S. Coast Guard successfully retrieved a crew of eight Indonesian fishermen adrift for over a week after their boat lost power in the middle of the western Pacific.The Hallelujar, a 60ft Indonesian-flagged fishing vessel of wooden construction, had been adrift for 10 days when on August 13th the AMVER vessel ISL Star received a message from the U.S. Coast Guard that the crew on board was seeking immediate assistance.

11 Jul 2019

Floating Windpower Partnership Formed

Japanese engineering giant Hitachi Zosen Corp and French marine renewables technology outfit  Naval Energies will work together in the field of floating wind power.The French marine renewables specialist said in a press release that the two companies will design and build floating wind turbines with a capacity of several hundred megawatts off the Japanese coast using Naval Energies' semi-submersible floating solution, which is a concrete, steel or a hybrid combination fixed to the seabed by an anchoring system that controls its movements.The project between the two companies is based on a feasibility study to jointly design and build…

23 Oct 2018

Erna Oldendorff Collided with Japanese Bridge

The Oldendorff Carriers vessel Erna Oldendorff struck the Oshima bridge on its way to Etajima, Japan on Monday, October 22.A press notification from the dry bulk shipping company said that no people were hurt and there are no reports of pollution at this time.Immediately after the incident Oldendorff Carriers informed all relevant authorities and parties.The vessel is following instructions of the Japanese Coast Guard and has moved to a safe anchorage.The cause of the accident is still unknown. There is currently an investigation by the Japanese Coast Guard to which Oldendorff Carriers is offering its full cooperation.Regardless of the…

02 Feb 2018

Oil From Sunken Iranian Tanker May Have Reached Japan

Clumps of oil have washed up on the shores of southern Japan and there are fears they may be leaking from an Iranian crude tanker than sank in the world's worst such disaster in decades, the Japanese Coast Guard said on Friday. Black clumps have reached the shores of the island of Amami-Oshima, a coast guard official told Reuters by phone. Authorities are checking to see if it is from the Sanchi (IMO:9356608) tanker that sank in the East China Sea last month, after being alerted to its presence by the public. The government had set up a special unit within Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office to coordinate Japan's response to the latest development, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.

18 Jun 2017

Seven Sailors Killed as US Navy Destroyer Collides with a Container Ship

Bodies of seven U.S. sailors recovered after the U.S. destroyer collided with with Philippine-flagged vessel CX Crystal near south of Tokyo Bay in Japan. The bodies of missing sailors were found in flooded compartments of the USS Fitzgerald, which came close to sinking after a collision with a container ship off Japan tore a gash under the warship's waterline, the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet commander said on Sunday. The smaller guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald suffered severe damage to its starboard side. An investigation is underway into why a massive cargo ship made a giant u-turn that caused the deadly collision with the USS Fitzgerald.

12 Jun 2017

US Navy Sailor Missing off Japan

U.S. Navy and Japanese ships and aircraft are searching for a sailor reported missing from USS Shiloh (CG 67) about 180 miles east of Okinawa, June 8. USS Shiloh (CG 67) reported a man overboard at approximately 9:30 p.m. JST. The ship was conducting routine operations at the time of the incident. Multiple searches of the ship were conducted, but were unable to locate the sailor. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft from USS Shiloh, USS McCampbell (DDG 85) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), as well as a P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft, are conducting an airborne search while Shiloh, McCampbell, Reagan, USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) and Japanese Coast Guard Ship Kudaka conduct a surface search.

12 Jul 2015

Boxship on Fire in East China Sea

The Japanese-built containership Kamala caught fire around 400km off the coast of the Japanese island of Kuchinoshima in the East China Sea. The accident happened during a voyage from Gresik, Indonesia to Ulsan, South Korea with 796 containers on board, including hazardous cargo. The fire started in several of deck containers and duty officer sent a distress signal to Japanese Coast Guard immediately. The vessel  (24,724 dwt, built 1999) was headed to the Korean port of Ulsan, having departed Gresik in Indonesia, when it sent a distress signal yesterday (Saturday) morning around 12:45am. The Japan’s 10th Regional Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter at the scene of the accident to see the Kamala’s condition and noticed that about 30 deck containers in the fore part are on fire.

07 May 2015

Philippines, Japan Coastguards Hold Antipiracy Drills

Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams staged an anti-piracy drill on Wednesday, featuring the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack, in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension in Asian waters. Both nations face a challenge from China's growing assertiveness over territorial claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, where it uses coast guard and fishing vessels to press into disputed areas. Wednesday's drill was the first held by Japan and the Philippines after signing a strategic partnership pact in 2012. The exercises in Manila Bay were watched by the coast guard chiefs of 17 Asian nations, including China, who are meeting to find ways to cooperate in boosting safety and battling piracy and transnational crime.

06 May 2015

Philippines, Japan Coast Guards in Anti-Piracy Drills

Philippine and Japanese coast guard teams staged an anti-piracy drill on Wednesday, featuring the storming of a cargo vessel after a mock hijack, in a show of maritime cooperation between the two nations amid rising tension in Asian waters. Both nations face a challenge from China's growing assertiveness over territorial claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, where it uses coast guard and fishing vessels to press into disputed areas. Wednesday's drill was the first held by Japan and the Philippines after signing a strategic partnership pact in 2012. The exercises in Manila Bay were watched by the coast guard chiefs of 17 Asian nations, including China, who are meeting to find ways to cooperate in boosting safety and battling piracy and transnational crime.

23 Jan 2015

US Naval Ship Aground off Japanese Coast

The U.S. Navy and Japanese authorities are working to refloat a Military Sealift Command vessel after it ran aground Thursday off the coast of Okinawa. The Sgt. Matej Kocak, a Military Sealift Command ship led by a civilian crew, ran aground off the coast of Uruma at 11:30 a.m. local time and the Navy is working with Japan to free the 821-foot-long container ship, whose size is roughly equivalent to an amphibious assault ship. Cmdr. William Marks, spokesman for the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet said that the safety of the civilian crew members and the environment was their top priorities. U.S. Navy is taking this situation very seriously and will continue to investigate the situation until it's resolved.

29 May 2014

Oil Tanker Explodes off Japan; Captain Missing

An explosion on oil tanker Shoko Maru off the coast of Japan set the vessel ablaze, severely injuring four crew while the captain remains missing, several sources reported. The blast occurred this morning while the 998-ton tanker was anchored roughly 3 miles off western Japan's port of Himeji, the Japanese coast guard said. Seven of the vessel’s eight crewmembers have been recovered and taken to the nearby hospitals, but the ship’s captain remains missing. Ships and aircraft were commissioned to fight the fire, which created a large hole in the vessel’s port side, causing it to tilt. Shoko Maru unloaded its fuel oil last Friday, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told Reuters, minimizing fears of major environmental impacts. The vessel is owned by Shoho Shopping Co.

09 Apr 2013

NYK Line Launches Tsunami Ship Alert System

Photo: NYK

Tsunami warnings issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency and other weather service providers will be sent to vessels via NYK's 'e-missions' system. The warnings are intended to allow affected vessels to determine the best course of action through contact with those on shore and use of the Tsunami-Response Guidelines NYK developed and released last year. When a tsunami warning is issued, a tsunami alert will be sent (in English) to NYK vessel operators and about 800 vessels that make use of NYK 'e-missions'.

13 Jul 2014

6.8 magnitude Quake in East Japan Tiggers a Minor Tsunami

An earthquake of magnitude 6.8 occurred on Saturday off the eastern coast of Japan, triggering a small tsunami with waves up to 20 inches, but no damage on the northeast coast of the country will be reported, local meteorological agency said. Northeastern Japan was devastated by a catastrophic tsunami in March 2011. No irregularities were reported at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which was severely damaged by the disaster of 2011, which caused the worst nuclear accident in the world since the Chernobyl meltdown in Ukraine in 1986. The earthquake reached category 4 on the Japanese seismic scale of 1-7, which means that there is little chance that generated serious damage.

04 Jan 2015

Vessel Sinks with All Filipino Crew

A Bahaman ship Bulk Jupiter with all-Filipino crew members sank on Friday in the East Vietnam Sea, some 150 nautical miles off southern Vung Tau City. Personnel of the Vietnam Maritime Rescue Cooperation Center (MRCC) rescued one and recovered two bodies of the crew members. Bulk Jupiter issued ditress signals at 22:54 hours UTC on January 1st in position lat 9".01' 01:001N, long 109" 15' 26.01E. The vessel departed Kuantan on 30th December 2014 at around 20:00 hours local time, with 19 crew members, all Filipinos, on board and about 46,400 mts of Bauxite in bulk, stowed in all five of her cargo holds. Repeated attempts to contact the vessel on all communication channels were unsuccessful.

05 Jan 2015

Bulk Jupiter Search and Rescue Ongoing

No new crewmembers or debris from the sunken vessel Bulk Jupiter have been detected during the recent search operations, ship’s owner Gearbulk Holding Limited reported. A fleet of vessels and planes, under direction of the Vietnamese Coast Guard are participating in the operations from where Bulk Jupiter issued distress signals. The Gearbulk vessel Sunbird Arrow is also assisting the SAR operation. A representative from Gearbulk's Bergen office has travelled to Vung Tao, Vietnam, where the surviving Cook and the bodies of the two deceased arrived yesterday. The cook was initially shielded from the public and taken to a hospital for appropriate medical attention before he was able to meet with authorities.