A cargo ship split off in two parts near the coast of Japan

All crew members were evacuated. But fuel leakage could not be avoided.

A Panama-flagged cargo ship ran aground near the port of Hachinohe, on the coast of northern Aomori prefecture. As a result, a deep crack formed in the ship's hull.

It is known that at the time of the incident there were 21 crew members on board the Crimson Polaris - citizens of China and the Philippines. The Japanese Coast Guard managed to evacuate all of them. However, the incident resulted in a fuel leak. Part of the hull of a dry cargo ship with a displacement of about 40 thousand tons is gradually being carried away from the coast, which creates a threat of collision of other sea vessels.

By nine in the morning on Thursday (03:00 Moscow time), the crack spread to the entire surface of the hull, as a result of which a small part of it broke off. Now experts are calculating the likelihood of the ship sinking at the scene of the accident. In addition, experts are doing everything to prevent the spread of fuel escaping from the vessel.

At the office of the Prime Minister of Japan, a crisis headquarters was formed to collect and analyze all information about this incident.