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| Sunday, 6 October 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Chemical tanker, container ship collide off Japan A chemical tanker and a container ship collided off the Japanese coast on Saturday, stirring fears hundreds of tonnes of solvent could leak after the tanker capsized, injuring its four crew, coastguard officials said. The 411-tonne Eiwa Maru, a Japanese chemical tanker carrying liquid xylene, hit the 52,103-tonne Panamanian-registered Ever Reward at around 3:00 a.m. (1800 GMT) about 19 miles off the Izu Peninsula, roughly 160 km (99 miles) west of Tokyo. The four crew of the Eiwa Maru escaped on a life raft to be rescued by a nearby ship, a Japanese coastguard official said. "All four are being treated in hospital, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening," he said. There was no damage to the container ship, which proceeded on its course to port at Shimizu harbour on the Izu peninsula. The coast guard official said weather conditions were fine and visibility good at the time of the accident, but declined to speculate on the cause pending an investigation. Only about five metres of the tanker's bow now remain above water, and there was concern some of its 500-tonne xylene, a chemical used in solvents, might be leaking. Television footage showed the bow of the boat sticking vertically out of the water, surrounded by a brown substance the coast guard official said was likely to be bilge. |
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