The Japan Coast Guard said a Panamanian-registered ship ran aground and was leaking oil in a northern Japanese port, but there were no injuries among the 21 crew members and the oil leak was being controlled with no signs it had reached the shore.
The “Crimson Polaris,” charted by NYK Line a 39,910-tonne vessel carrying wood chips, came aground in Hachinohe harbor on Wednesday morning. It was able to break free, but due to bad weather, it was unable to sail far and ended up anchoring approximately 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) from the harbor.
According to the Coast Guard, a break in the hull occurred and oil began to leak, resulting in a 5.1 kilometer long by 1 km wide slick visible by Thursday morning, with containment measures being undertaken by patrol boats.
