A cargo ship broke into two pieces after running aground in a northern Japanese port and is spilling oil into the sea, Japan's coast guard said Thursday.

All 21 Chinese and Filipino crew members were safely rescued by the coast guard, said the ship's Japanese operator, NYK Line.

The 39,910-ton wood-chip carrier Crimson Polaris went aground Wednesday while sailing inside Hachinohe Port. It managed to free itself from the seabed, but suffered a crack which widened and eventually caused the vessel to split into two early Thursday, the coast guard said.

Officials were trying to contain the oil spill. The amount of oil leaked is under investigation, NYK Line said in a statement.

The broken hull of the Panamanian-registered ship has drifted about 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) off the coast, it said.

Share:
More In Business
Climate Change May Force More Farmers and Ranchers to Consider Irrigation -- at a Steep Cost
Irrigation might have saved Jackson's hay, but she and her husband rejected the idea about 10 years ago over the cost: as much as $75,000 for a new well and all the equipment. But now — with an extended drought and another U.S. heat wave this week that will broil her land about an hour northwest of Dallas for days in 100-degree-plus temperatures — Jackson said she is “kind of rethinking.”
How Technology is Getting Banking Ready for the Future
From moving finances online to the new ways we'll be getting cash, Ray Hatch, the Vice President of Enterprise Solutions Vertical Markets at Comcast Business explains how the banking industry is getting ready for the future.
Load More