4. Inquiries into serious marine accidents
No serious marine accidents were judged by Local Marine Accidents Inquiry agencies between January 1998 and the end of June 1999. The following are summaries of major marine accidents during this period.
■Distress of cargo ship Yamato Maru
Judgment pronounced on May 29, 1998; Kobe Local Marine Accidents Inquiry Agency
Date and time of occurrence: June 26, 1997; 0614 hours
Place of occurrence: Off the southeast coast of Shiono-misaki, Wakayama Prefecture
Damage/fatalities and injuries: Heavy damage to vessel; three crew fatalities and four crew injuries
Summary of facts
The Yamato Maru, a 8,015-ton cargo ship with 19 crew members carrying 142 trailers and eight passenger cars, departed the port of Karita, Fukuoka Prefecture, for the port of Yokosuka. En route, it encountered rough weather caused by the approach of a typhoon. As a consequence, a large wave swept over the vessel's bow, shattering the forward window of the steering room and causing water to flood the room, thus rendering the vessel incapable of maneuvering.
Key points of the judgment
Examinees
Chief officer of the Yamato Maru
Chief engineer of the Yamato Maru
Designated persons concerned in the marine accident
Owner of the Yamato Maru
Builder of the Yamato Maru
Cause
That the Yamato Maru was rendered in distress is attributable to several factors. The vessel departed the port of Karita via the Seto Inland Sea for the port of Yokosuka, as a major typhoon packing strong winds moving north over the southern tip of Shikoku neared the Kii Peninsula. After failing to seek harbor shelter in the Osaka bay, the vessel encountered intense winds, which caused a large wave to hit the bow of the vessel, shattering the forward window of the steering room and causing water to flood the room and short circuit the control system cable ways of main engine and steering equipment, thereby rendering the vessel incapable of maneuvering.
The failure of the company owning the Yamato Maru to provide the vessel's crew with sufficient guidance and training regarding observation of the company's safety guidelines was a contributing factor in this accident.
The multiple fatalities and injuries resulting from this accident are attributable to the fact that the vessel was rolling and listing heavily from the impact of beam sea and, as a consequence, a substantial volume of water flooded into the steering room unchecked without draining out, carrying away crew members on duty and crashing them against all sections of the room.
