A 499-ton cargo ship collided with a 16-ton fishing boat anchored off Toba in Mie Prefecture on Friday, killing two of the 13 people on board. Ten others were injured, and one was rescued later. The Japan Transport Safety Board is dispatching investigators.
On Friday, a 499-ton cargo ship departed from Kinuura Port in Aichi Prefecture around 10 a.m., heading to Mizushima Port in Okayama Prefecture, when it collided with a fishing boat off Toba in Mie Prefecture. The 71-meter vessel was under the command of a 21-year-old female navigator. All six crew members, including one trainee, were unharmed.
The 16-ton, 15-meter recreational fishing boat had left Toba Port around 11:40 a.m. and was anchored for fishing near the site by noon. The collision split the boat's hull in two. The 13 people on board were all men in their 60s to 80s; Kokichi Taniguchi, 84, and Motohiro Nakagawa, 67, both from Matsusaka in Mie, died. Ten others were injured, and one person initially missing was later rescued.
The cargo ship's captain reported the collision to the coast guard around 12:55 p.m. The vessel is believed to have struck the right side of the fishing boat. Rescued individuals were shivering and using blankets and hand warmers to warm up, according to a 66-year-old man who witnessed them. "They were shivering and trying to warm themselves with blankets and hand warmers," he said.
According to the Toba Coast Guard Office, the fishing boat carried a captain and 12 anglers. The Japan Transport Safety Board has decided to dispatch four marine accident investigators. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
