Chemical tanker crashes into cargo ship off Japanese coast

A Japanese chemical tanker collided with a cargo ship off the coast of southwestern Japan on Saturday, the coast guard said.

The crash occurred in the early hours of Saturday.

It was investigated after both ships were anchored in the area, approximately 3.5km (2.2 miles) off the coast of Wakayama prefecture, an official of the Kushimoto Coast Guard said.

No injuries were reported among the six Japanese crew members aboard the chemical tanker Ryoshinmaru, or the14 Chinese crew members on the Belize-registered cargo ship Xin Hai 99.

The engine area of the cargo ship began to sink initially after oil began leaking from it, but was soon brought under control, the coast guard official said.

The tanker Ryoshinmaru didn’t have any chemicals on board at the time of the incident, since it had left Kobe port to pick up chemicals from another Japanese port, thereby avoiding a greater mishap. Divers were sent to the scene and GPS records pursued to determine the cause of the accident.

The Chinese crew told the coast guard that the tanker had suddenly veered toward them, the official added.

Additional reporting by agencies