QUEEN BEETLE

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Ferry subsidiary covered up water leak

Kyushu Railway said on Aug 14, 2024, that its jet ferry subsidiary covered up a water leak on the 'Queen Beetle' for over three months. The JR Kyushu Jet Ferry, operated the high-speed ferry linking the Hakata district of the city of Fukuoka and the South Korean city of Busan, despite the water ingress. It found that the cover-up was ordered by the subsidiary's leadership and replaced its president, Wataru Tanaka, with board director Kenji Oba on Aug 13. The cover-up was discovered through a hearing with crew members during a surprise probe by the transport ministry on Aug. 6. A water leak in the bow section of the high-speed vessel was confirmed Feb. 12, but it was not reported to the ministry or recorded in the logbook on Tanaka's instruction. The amount of water that entered the ship was recorded in a separate book. The amount increased on May 27, but the sensor to detect entry of water into the vessel was moved from 44 centimeters above the bottom of the ship to one meter above the following day. The ferry unit continued to operate the 'Queen Beetle', while draining the water with a pump. The company reported the water leak on May 30, pretending that it had just found the leak, and suspended the services the same day. The ship went back into operation on July 11.