a freighter broke in the middle of the coast of Japan

A freighter carrying chips was swept away by a severe storm off the northwest coast of Japan and ended up splitting in twoAlthough the crew could have been rescued, according to the Japanese Coast Guard and the shipping company.

It is Crimson polaris, of the Panamanian flag, which had been chartered by the company NYK, and which sank 4 kilometers from the coast of Japan causing fuel spillage.

As reported on its website by the company, the Crimson Polaris “was blown away by a strong wind while at anchor and, as a result, ran aground off Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture at around 7:35 am” yesterday in Japan (7:35 p.m. Tuesday in Argentina). ).

Although the company initially assured that “luckily there was no oil contamination” in the area, hours later, in a second statement, NYK admitted that “the ship’s oil was ‘is dumped in the ocean. The amount is currently under investigation. “

According to images released by the Japanese Coast Guard, the stern of the freighter is nearly sunk although the rest of the Crimson Polaris is still afloat. a ship of about 200 meters and built in 2008, according to information from NYK.

Three patrol boats and three planes were mobilized after its grounding. The 21 crew members, Chinese and Filipino, were rescued.

Authorities attempted to contain the oil spill but were unable to deploy the barrier around the ship, a company spokesperson said.

“The patrol boats will operate at night” to avoid collisions, the spokesperson said, adding that no other vessel was known to be involved in the crash.

In a statement, the company said it “has organized a crisis management center headed by NYK Chairman Hitoshi Nagasawa to quickly remedy the situation. Company staff have been dispatched to the site and given the necessary support. will be provided to the shipowner. and the ship’s management company. We hope the situation will come to a safe and speedy conclusion. “