Coast Guard investigating collision between freighter & fishing boat in Japanese waters
The Japan Coast Guard is currently investigating a collision between a tuna trawler and a freight ship that took place on Sunday morning near the Kinkasan Island, in the waters off Miyagi Prefecture. Except for the trawler’s captain, who is reported missing, the remaining eight members of the ship have been rescued.
The trawler was identified as the 19-ton Yujin Maru No. 7 from Susaki, while the transport ship was the 57,600-ton NOCC Oceanic, which is owned by the Norwegian Car Carriers and is registered to the Marshall Islands. The car-carrier is currently held at the Sendai port for investigation. It will also be inspected for possible signs of collision. NOCC Oceanic had not reported any collision-related incident, but said it will participate with the investigation. The trawler’s captain from Kochi City, 52-year old Hiroshi Yoshizawa, is still missing.
“The trawler listed after being hit by another ship while I was sleeping,” shared Hiroshi Matsumoto, who is the trawler’s chief engineer. “I realized the trawler would split in two after we got in a lifeboat,” Matsumoto said, adding that the cloudy weather made it hard for him to identify the vessel that hit them. The engineer is from Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, while the other members of the fishing boat’s crew are from Indonesia.
Source: http://japandailypress.com/
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