Cargo ship splits in two, leaving oil spill 5km long

Cargo ship splits in two, leaving oil spill 5km long
Josh Martin 12 August 2021 https://www.cityam.com/cargo-ship-splits-in-two-leaving-oil-spill-5km-long/

The Crimson Polaris split in two after it ran aground in northern Japan
A cargo ship this morning ran aground in a northern Japan harbour, then split in two and was leaking oil.

Surprisingly 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.

The 39,910-tonne Panamanian-flagged vessel, the “Crimson Polaris,” was carrying wood chips when it ran aground on this 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