Oil Spill Off Japan Coast

A wood chip carrier Crimson Polaris ran aground at the Hachinohe Port in Aomori Prefecture, Japan on Wednesday, 11th August 2021, has split into two and is spilling oil.

The Panama-flagged vessel, with 21 crew members on board, grounded and sustained structural damage on Wednesday morning. It managed to free itself from the seabed but suffered a crack that widened and eventually caused the vessel to split into two. It was unable to navigate due to bad weather which increased difficulties and ended up anchored some 4 km off the port. All the crewmembers, eight Chinese and 13 Filipinos have been rescued and reported safe.

The freighter, measuring 39,910 tons, operated by Japan’s NYK Line broke apart at 4,15 hrs local time, and the extent of the oil leak is currently under investigation. The split hull of the MI-DAS Line-owned vessel is about 4 km offshore, and the on-site response is being carried out by the Japanese Coast Guard. The coast guard reported a visible slick 5.1 km long and 1 km wide, reaching the coastline of Misawa in the prefecture. The coast guard said its officials have been engaging in cleanup work.

Three patrol boats and three aircraft were sent after the incident. Authorities are trying to control fuel leaks; however, the extent of environmental impact is unknown.

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