A Panamanian-registered ship ran aground in a northern Japan harbour, then split in two and was leaking oil. However, all 21 Chinese and Filipino crew members were safely rescued by the coast guard and the oil leak was being controlled with no signs of it reaching the shore, the Japan Coast Guard said.
The 39,910-tonne vessel, the “Crimson Polaris”, was carrying wood chips when it ran aground on Wednesday morning in Hachinohe harbour. It managed to free itself from the seabed, but suffered a crack which widened and eventually caused the vessel to split into two, early on Thursday, the coast guard said. The ship which was at the end of a voyage from Thailand ended up anchoring about 4 km (2.4 miles) out from the port.
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.
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