SANWAMARU

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Tanker ran aground and is leaking oil

On Jan 6, 2025, at 6 p.m. the 'Sanwa Maru', en route from Tomakamai to a port in Akita Prefecture with a cargo of 3800 tons kerosene, ran aground east of Esancho, near the Cape Esan in Hakodate, Hokkaido, in pos. 41° 47' N 141° 10' E, amid ind speeds of five meters per second. initial efforts to refloat the grounded ship did not succeed, The salvage attempts were halted on Jan 7 due to bad weather in the area. The Hakodate Coast Guard confirmed on Jan 8, that heavy oil had leaked from a fuel tank at the bottom of the ship which appeared to have been damaged. To date, about one ton of diesel and 3,1 tons of kerosene have leaked from the tanker. An oil boom was laid out. The Coast Guard rescued seven of the 11 crew members with a boat, which was deployed from the patrol vessel 'Okushiri'. The remaining four intended to remain on board in order to support the work to pull the ship from the reef. The ship had a list of five degrees to starboard side. Reportsd with photos and video: https://www.gettyimages.hk/detail/新聞照片/the-tanker-sanwa-maru-runs-aground-off-hakodate-in-the-新聞照片/2192328978?adppopup=true https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/1652383?display=1 https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/811348 https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20250108-OYT1T50045/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoSXOF7vjBw&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BD3tJMu5eQ https://www.hbc.co.jp/news/af591e5235c65fb5f026eec6270120ea.html https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20250107/7000072432.html https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20250108/7000072463.html

Salvage attempt aborted

On Jan 10 at high tide, an attempt was made to tow the 'Sanwa Maru' away from the rocks off the coast of Esan, Hakodate City, after the oil leakage was stopped by transferring the remaining fuel oil in the damaged fuel tank to another empty tank. Ballast water was being pumped out, and the contracted tug 'Koyo Maru' (IMO: 9966348) of the company Nippon Salvage started moving back and forth in small movements at 10.04 a.m. LT, but the tanker did not move, and the operation was halted at 11.10 a.m. Meanwhole it turned out that the grounding seems to have been caused by a human error of the helmsman. The Japanes Coastguard continued its investigation into the accident. Reports with photos and video: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20250110/7000072539.html https://www.saitama-np.co.jp/articles/117809/postDetail https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/1659986?display=1 https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1109510/?ref=top

Salvage operation suspended until end of investigations

The efforts to refloat the 'Samwa Maru' have been suspended. The majority of the crew was evacuated from the ship after it shifted while an investigation was seeking the source of an oil slick that formed on Jan 8. The Japanese Coastguard had dispatched vessels and there was an attempt on Jan 7 to pull the tanker off the rocks, which failed, and additional tugs were being dispatched. On the morning of Jan 8 the crew of the tanker reported the ship had shifted. An oil slick appeared, and people said there was a strong smell of oil around the vessel. Visual observation from a helicopter of the Hakodate Air Base of the 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters showed that the spill was approximately 2.7 kilometers long and one kilometer wide around the grounding site. The slick extended nearly 1,5 miles from the ship, but the Coastguard believed it was a small leak and that the cargo tanks have remained intact. The salvage operation was, however, suspended while the Coastguard investigated the leak and attempted to prevent it from growing. Salvage efforts may be resumed on Jan 9. The shipowner and salvage company will decide on the future towing operation after examining the oil leakage situation. The Coast Guard believesdthat the heavy fuel oil leaked due to a damage near the fuel tank at the stern. Reports with photos: https://nordot.app/1249629951040209714?c=768367547562557440 https://www.asahi.com/articles/AST183FCZT18IIPE008M.html