The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
High-tech ship joins search
SHARI, Hokkaido — A search for missing people on the sunken Kazu I sightseeing vessel involving a private ship equipped with advanced underwater search equipment — including a sophisticated camera — began Sunday o the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido.
e tour boat went missing April 23 with 26 passengers and crew aboard. As of Monday morning, 12 people remained unaccounted for.
On Sunday, the 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters unveiled two new photos of the Kazu I captured at a depth of about 115 meters by the new equipment. e images clearly show the name of the boat on the le side of the skewed hull, as well as the open rear door that leads to the cabin.
e Japan Coast Guard commissioned the private rm, which operates a sophisticated underwater search system and specializes in saturation diving.
Initially, the company will capture high-resolution images of the Kazu I with unmanned equipment and carry out preliminary studies to prepare for a saturation diving search. Divers will be able to closely examine both the exterior and interior of the vessel if they can reach it, but weather conditions could make the task di cult.
Meanwhile, the JCG and the Hokkaido prefectural police are continuing their sea search for the 12 missing people. e last of the 14 bodies to be found so far was located on April 28. (May 10)
NO SIGN OF VICTIMS
No victims were visible in footage
taken with an undersea camera inside the sunken Kazu I sightseeing boat, according to the Japan Coast Guard.
e JCG’s 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters on May 4 released images taken inside the sightseeing boat, which was carrying 26 passengers and crew before it sank on April 23 o the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido.
e images were also shown to the families of the 12 victims who have yet to be found.
e JCG released 10 still images from footage lmed with an underwater camera by the Hokkaido prefectural police on May 3. Seating was visible in the vessel’s hull, which was found on April 29 on the seabed at a depth of about 115 meters.
Doors at the rear and the le side of the vessel were open, according to the JCG.
None of the remaining 12 victims were found during search operations on May 4. (May 6)
ALONE AT SEA
Sources linked to three sightseeing operators claimed that Shiretoko Pleasure Boat, the operator of Kazu I, had conducted solo tours when bad weather had been forecast on several occasions, even though other operators had canceled trips.
According to the sources, other operators were critical of Shiretoko Pleasure Boat’s practices because if only one sightseeing boat is out at sea, rescue e orts are more challenging in the event of an accident.
e Kazu I was the only sightseeing boat in the area when it sank on April 23.
Shiretoko Pleasure Boat and three other sightseeing boat operators are based at Utoro shing port in Shari, Hokkaido. According to the other companies, the four operators had agreed to suspend operations when bad weather had been forecast.
Captains from the four companies usually met in the morning to check sea conditions, the weather forecast and other matters, and to con rm whether conditions were safe to conduct tours.
Experienced captains canceled trips if they thought the weather was going to deteriorate. However, ve or six times a year, Shiretoko Pleasure Boat was the only operator to send a boat out, according to the sources. (May 6)