Ship sailing under Panama flag runs aground in northern Japan, splits in two

[August 12, 2021]    TOKYO (Reuters) -A Panamanian-registered ship ran aground in a northern Japan harbour, then split in two and was leaking oil, but there were no injuries among the 21 crew and the oil leak was being controlled with no signs it had reached shore, the Japan Coast Guard said.

A view of the Panamanian-registered ship 'Crimson Polaris' after it ran aground in Hachinohe harbour in Hachinohe, northern Japan, August 12, 2021, in this handout photo taken and released by 2nd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters. Courtesy 2nd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters - Japan Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS

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, but due to poor weather was unable to move far and ended up anchoring about 4 km (2.4 miles)out from the port.

The vessel, which was at the end of a voyage from Thailand, split in two early on Thursday, the Coast Guard said. 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.

(Reporting by Elaine LiesEditing by Shri Navaratnam and Michael Perry)

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