Video: Woodchip Carrier Splits Into Two, Causes Massive Oil Spill Of Up to 5KM

A cargo ship, Crimson Polaris, that ran aground in a northern Japanese port, split into two, resulting in a massive oil spill of around 5 km into the sea.

None of the crew members suffered any injuries. The vessel had 21 crew members- Chinese and Filipino. The coast guards safely rescued all the crew.

Crimson Polaris is a 39,910-tonne Panamanian-flagged vessel that was carrying wood chips when it ran aground on Wednesday in the Hachinohe Port. The Japan Coast Guards and NYK Line surveyed the vessel.

It also confirmed that efforts were on to reduce the scope of environmental damage. As per reports from NYK, the vessel was carrying 1,550 MT of heavy fuel oil and an additional 130 MT of light oil at grounding. However, they couldn’t determine the exact amount of oil spills from the vessel.

Image Credits: Japan Coast Guard

The Japan Coast Guards said that Crimson Polaris grounded due to strong winds and rough seas while approaching Hachinohe Port. The vessel moved into deeper waters and freed itself but failed to navigate in the right direction. It then took anchorage because of the rough weather. This eventually led to a crack that deepened and the vessel split into two, causing the oil leak.

A 5.1 km long and 1 km wide oil slick was seen in the area where the vessel cracked. Immediately, patrol boats were on work to contain the leakage. A statement by NYK Line said that officials were trying to contain the oil spill and the amount of oil leaked was under investigation.

Reference: abc.net.au

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Source: Maritime Shipping News