Video: Crimson Polaris wreck leaking oil
Bulker that split in two off Japan creates 15-mile oil slick.
The wood-chip carrier, Crimson Polaris, that grounded and broke up off the Japanese port of Hachinohe is leaking oil, reports the vessel’s charterer, NYK Lines.
The company says the bulker has 1,550 MT of heavy fuel oil and 130 MT of light oil aboard. Initial reports said the oil slick extended for three miles from the vessel and is half a mile wide, but the end-of-day situation report suggests that the slick now reaches 15 miles in length.
Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats are spraying dispersant on the slick and absorption mats have been deployed. Oil recovery companies have also been engaged to deal with the spill and will begin clean-up operations ashore.
