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Shipspotters all over the world => Shipping News and information => Topic started by: Robert Tarling on March 24, 2012, 06:16:52 PM

Title: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Robert Tarling on March 24, 2012, 06:16:52 PM
This from the BBC:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17500008

Does anyone know the ship's identity?

Very Best Wishes,
Bob.
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Dave Forbes on March 24, 2012, 06:22:10 PM
This is truelly amazing , drifting for over a year without going aground and no-one has noticed it before now.
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Tuomas Romu on March 24, 2012, 06:25:05 PM
Makes you wonder what else you could find outside the major shipping lanes...

I would expect that a derelict like that would capsize and eventually sink if left drifting without power in the open seas.
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Trucker001 on March 24, 2012, 07:12:28 PM
  i am suprised she didnt sink yet.. no power n no way pumping out the bilges  i wonder if she has any radioactivity in her? where that power plant was leaking
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Tuomas Romu on March 24, 2012, 07:44:15 PM
I'd say it's quite unlikely that she has any additional radioactivity from the Fukushima incident. After all, that happened more or less after the tsunami, while the ship probably "departed" on the same day the waves hit Japan...
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Luis del Fresno Miyar on March 25, 2012, 01:19:28 AM
I belive the vessel is larger than 15 mts. I don't know who gave the notice.
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Robert Tarling on March 25, 2012, 08:32:52 AM
There's another link here:-
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-25/japanese-fishing-ship-spotted-off-canada/3911012

Gives the size as 65 metres...
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: victor radio74 on March 25, 2012, 09:28:13 AM
I wonder if anybody was onboard at the tsunami,terrible supposition(the Flying Dutchman)!
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: ManilaBoy45 on March 25, 2012, 11:22:49 AM
   WOW! A 65 metres ship that drifted for more than 1 year and yet nobody spotted or noticed it ...    :o
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: davidships on March 25, 2012, 11:11:08 PM
Best image I can find is http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Japanese+tsunami+ghost+ship+drifts+coast/6351683/story.html
Fishery number looks like HKI-113 or HK1113.
Reported that owner believes that nobody was on board when she was swept away.
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Jens Boldt on April 06, 2012, 06:05:47 AM
According to German news the vessel called Ryou-un Maru has now been sunk by an American coast guard vessel.
 (Edited 08.04.12, removed a hyperlink which no longer worked)
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Timsen on April 06, 2012, 07:41:24 AM
Video of ship under fire:
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1587691
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Trucker001 on April 06, 2012, 12:40:41 PM
 they sunk it without looking to see if it had fuel or other nasty stuff aboard it so my question is who will pay the cleanup bill if it has fuel in it?
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Jens Boldt on April 06, 2012, 02:26:29 PM
The authorities have considered this, it says in the news. But they decided that a drifting vessel without any lighting and communication systems would be the bigger risk...
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Tuomas Romu on April 06, 2012, 02:27:45 PM
they sunk it without looking to see if it had fuel or other nasty stuff aboard it so my question is who will pay the cleanup bill if it has fuel in it?

There was about 7,500 litres of diesel fuel onboard which could have resulted in a disaster had the derelict drifted closer to shipping lanes. Thus, sinking the fishing boat and allowing the fuel to evaporate from the surface was deemed to be a better solution than risking e.g. collision with another ship. It's unlikely that there will be any long-lasting environmental effects since we're not talking about heavy fuel oil or crude oil, but I too would have wanted to see at least the fuel tanks emptied before scuttling the vessel. It should have not been even difficult considering that the ship was floating and not in immediate danger of sinking, but I guess the USCG is not equipped for that kind of tasks. Towing the ship ashore and scrapping it there would also have been an option, but then again it would've cost more than couple of rounds from the deck gun...

Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: davidships on April 08, 2012, 12:30:16 PM
Still not certain of her identity.  There are several RYOUN MARUs.  Eliminating those with known fishery numbers or belonging to wrong port (as HK1-113 must be a Hokkaido registration), there are still:

RYOUN MARU No.11 - IMO 8838245 - listed as sold to unknown buyers 6/2011 (insurers?)
RYOUN MARU No.12 - IMO 9038775
RYOUN MARU No.16 - IMO 8708062
RYOUN MARU No.53 - IMO 7126413
and may well be others of course without IMO numbers
Title: Re: Japan tsunami 'ghost ship' drifting to Canada...
Post by: Jens Boldt on April 08, 2012, 05:19:21 PM
She was about to be scrapped when the tsunami swept her away, it said in the news. Does that help?