Story at a glance
- A vessel was forced to anchor just two miles out from the Hachinohe port in northeastern Japan due to bad weather.
- The ship suffered a crack that widened and eventually caused it to split in two pieces early Thursday.
- All 21 crew members were safely evacuated from the ship with the help of the Japanese Coast Guard.
A cargo ship weighing about 40,000 tons split in two and began leaking oil after the vessel ran aground in a harbor in northeastern Japan, according to Reuters.
The Panamanian-flagged vessel, the Crimson Polaris, was on course to enter the Hachinohe port Wednesday morning when it was carried away by strong winds and ran aground in shallow water , according to the ship’s operator Nippon Yusen.
The ship was unable to move far and ended up anchoring just more than 2 miles out from the port.
The vessel then suffered a crack that widened and eventually caused it to split in two pieces early Thursday.
Ship sailing under #Panama flag runs aground in northern #Japan, splits in two.#CrimsonPolaris
More Details: https://t.co/lfOVajkIcp pic.twitter.com/X4p3VzXxuM
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All 21 crew members were safely evacuated from the ship with the help of the Japanese Coast Guard. The ship was carrying wood chips from Thailand and was nearing the end of its voyage when it became stuck.
“A portion of the ship’s wood-chip cargo was lost from the damaged part of the hull, NYK is currently confirming the amount of cargo and impact on the sea area at the site,” Nippon Yusen said in a statement.
While the ship’s operator says “no oil pollution has occurred,” Reuters reports a three-mile-long oil slick was left in its wake and patrol boats were conducting containment operations.
The two parts of the large ship are reportedly still in the shallow water and are being monitored by authorities.
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