3. Collision between the Motorships "Yuyo Maru No. 10" and "Pacific Ares"
Outline of the Case
The Motorship "Yuyo Maru No. 10"(gross tonnage of 43,723), laden with 20,831 MT of light naphtha, 20,202 MT of propane and 6,443 MT of butane, left Ras Tanura, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for Kawasaki, and the port of Keihin on October 22, 1974. While the vessel was sailing northward along the Naka-no Se Traffic Route in Tokyo Bay on November 9,she collided with the Motorship "Pacific Ares" (gross tonnage of 10,874), manned with a Taiwanese Master and 28 crew members, laden with 1 4,835 MT of steel products, en route from Kisarazu for Los Angeles, USA. The collision occurred about 13:37 hours on the same day slightly northward of the boundary line of the Naka-no Se Traffic Route.
As a result of the collision, the "Yuyo Maru No. 10" suffered a large hole at the point of collision, with her cargo naphtha instantly igniting into flames. As a result of the outflow of naphtha overboard, the sea surface on her starboard side literally turned into a sea of fire. The "Pacific Ares" showered with fire burst into flames in the forecastle and on the bridge. While explosions occurred one after another, attempts were made to tow the "Yuyo Maru No 10", outside the bay, but she ran aground in the vicinity of Daini Kaiho. She was successfully towed out of Tokyo Bay and sunk south of Nojima Saki on the afternoon of November 27 by cannon, air bomb and torpedo attacks staged by the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
On board the "Yuyo Maru No. 10", five crew members were killed and seven others injured by this accident.
The "Pacific Ares", whose forward section was completely crushed and superstructures burned down, was later repaired. Her crew members were all killed except one person, who was injured but rescued.
This accident had a great repercussion not only on the Diet and related businesses such as shipping, shipbuilding and oil industries, but also on the general public since it was a marine accident which occurred in Tokyo Bay with heavy marine traffic, involving a large-sized vessel carrying dangerous goods, and resulted in a disastrous fire on cargo and many fatalities.
The Yokohama Local Marine Accidents Inquiry Agency pronounced a judgement for this case on May 23, 1975, but the commissioner of the Yokohama Local Marine Accidents Inquiry Commissionor's office, the examinee (the Master of the "Yuyo Maru No. 10") and the counsellor (for the "Yuyo Maru No. 10") made applications for inquiry in the second instance, and the High Marine Accidents Inquiry Agency, delivered a judgement on May 20, 1976.
After that, the examinee of the "Yuyo Maru No. 10" appealed to the Tokyo High Court, seeking avoidance of the judgement, but the appeal was dismissed by the court on October 25, 1979.
