A Panama-flagged ship ran aground in a port in northern Japan, then broke in two and spilled oil, but no injuries were reported among the 21 crew members. According to the Japan Coast Guard, the oil spill was brought under control with no sign of reaching the coast.
The 39,910-ton ship called “Crimson Polaris” was carrying wood chips when it ran aground Wednesday (11) morning in Hachinohe Port.
The ship managed to run, but due to bad weather it was unable to move far and ended up mooring about 4 kilometers from the port.
The coast guard said the ship, which was at the end of a voyage from Thailand, broke in two on Thursday morning (13).
An oil slick 5.1 km long and about 1 km wide was seen at the end of the day, but containment measures were taken by the patrol boats.
A Coast Guard spokesman said the two parts of the ship were not moving and were closely monitored by the patrol boats, and by the late afternoon there was no significant change in their status.
(Translated text, read the original text in English over here)
