Crimson Polaris bow towed to Hachinohe Port
The bow of the NYK-operated wood chip carrier Crimson Polaris has been towed into Hachinohe Port as the work to remove the oil from the vessel that broke in two off Japan was expected to take longer offshore due to weather and sea conditions.
The salvage company will remove the remaining oil from the bow of the ship and unload the cargo. According to NYK, the operation will be completed in mid-September and the remaining cargo will be discharged at the end of the same month.
It is estimated that the forward section contains around 1,140 tonnes of heavy oil. The 49,500 dwt ship broke apart and started spilling oil on August 12 about 4 km off Japan after running aground at the Hachinohe Port a day earlier.
The oil spill, which spread around 24 km north of the coastline, reached Japanese shores despite efforts to contain it. NYK, as the charterer of the Crimson Polaris, has been sending teams to assist with the cleanup operations on the coast of Rokkasho village in Aomori prefecture.
Approximately 280 tonnes of oil that spilled came from the stern section of the Panama-flagged vessel. Salvage options for the stern section are being explored, while the Japanese coast guard and related parties are carrying out their investigation.