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US to sink Japanese 'ghost ship' set adrift in tsunami Tsunami 'ghost ship' set to be sunk by US coast guard
(about 6 hours later)
The US coast guard is preparing to sink a Japanese fishing boat that is adrift off the coast of Alaska after it was washed out to sea by the 2011 tsunami. The US Coast Guard plans to go ahead with its plan to sink a crewless Japanese ship that drifted to Alaska after the 2011 tsunami.
The derelict Ryou-Un Maru is currently about 170 nautical miles (196 miles, 315km) south-west of Sitka, Alaska. The coast guard earlier said they would hold off firing on the Ryou-Un Maru after a Canadian fishing boat claimed salvage rights.
The 200ft (61m) "ghost ship" has no lights, power or crew and is a danger to other ships, the coast guard said. Then a Canadian official said that the Bernice C could not tow the Japanese ghost ship.
The ship is thought to be at the front of a stream of tsunami debris that has been drifting east since 11 March 2011. A Coast Guard spokesman said they would use cannon fire to sink the ship.
The Ryou-Un Maru was first spotted off the coast of Canadian British Columbia on 23 March. The 200ft (61m) "ghost ship" has no lights, power or crew and is a danger to other ships.
Ahead of the operation to sink the ship, the Anacapa gunnery ship of the 17th US Coast Guard began shadowing the ghost ship on Wednesday afternoon. It is thought to be at the vanguard of a stream of tsunami debris drifting east since last year's disaster hit Japan.
It stricken vessel moving at about 1km/h in a maritime transport corridor that separates US and Canadian waters. The Anacapa gunnery ship of the 17th US Coast Guard began shadowing the empty ship on Wednesday afternoon.
ScuttlingScuttling
"Our main concern is maritime traffic," Coast Guard spokesman David Mosley told the Associated Press news agency. The Ryou-Un Maru was first spotted off the coast of Canadian British Columbia on 23 March.
"We're trying to minimise any safety concerns, alerting vessels. We don't want any vessels to run into it." It is currently about 170 nautical miles (196 miles; 315km) south-west of Sitka, Alaska.
The gunnery ship will use a 25mm cannon on board the Anacapa to scuttle the ghost ship, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow told the BBC. The vessel is moving at about 1km/h in a maritime transport corridor that separates US and Canadian waters.
A Hercules C-130 air crew will participate in the operation and will broadcast to mariners and air traffic first, alerting them to clear the surrounding area before the demolition of the ship begins. The gunnery ship would have used a 25mm cannon on board the Anacapa to scuttle the ghost ship, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow told the BBC.
A Hercules C-130 air crew was ready to participate in the operation, broadcasting to mariners and air traffic to alert them and help clear the surrounding area before the demolition of the ship began.
CPO Wadlow said it would be too expensive to try to salvage the ship, and too dangerous to put anyone on board.CPO Wadlow said it would be too expensive to try to salvage the ship, and too dangerous to put anyone on board.
The ship will sink with about 8,000 litres (2,113 gallons) of diesel on board. But the vessel is far enough from the nearest coastline that any spillage would dissipate naturally, CPO Wadlow added. The ship has about 8,000 litres (2,113 gallons) of diesel on board.
The Ryou-Un Maru, a shrimping boat, has been traced to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Alaskan Senator Mark Begich suggested that the boat's owner had been identified, but the owner did not want the vessel back.The Ryou-Un Maru, a shrimping boat, has been traced to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Alaskan Senator Mark Begich suggested that the boat's owner had been identified, but the owner did not want the vessel back.
On 11 March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake hit Japan, triggering a tsunami that swamped a power station, prompting the worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.