Sink it!

PropBet · Apr 5, 2012

From this story: US to Sink Ghost Ship Dislodged by Japan Tsunami - weather.com

OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard plans to use cannon fire to sink a derelict Japanese ship dislodged by last year's massive tsunami.

The shrimping vessel, which has no lights or communications systems, was floating about 195 miles south of Sitka in the Gulf of Alaska on Thursday morning, traveling about 1 mile per hour.

The ship holds more than 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel and authorities are concerned it could interfere with the course of other vessels as it drifts through shipping lanes. A Coast Guard cutter was headed out to the ship on Thursday with plans to fire cannons loaded with high explosive rounds to sink the vessel.

If left to drift, the ship would ground somewhere, said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Charley Hengen.

"It's safer to mitigate the risks now before there's an accident or environmental impact," Hengen said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship and let the fuel evaporate in the open water.

The Coast Guard will warn other ships to avoid the area, and will observe from an HC-130 Hercules airplane.

The vessel, named Ryou-Un Maru, is believed to be 150 to 200 feet long. It has been adrift from Hokkaido, Japan, since it was launched by the tsunami caused by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck Japan last year. About 5 million tons of debris were swept into the ocean by the tsunami.

The Japan earthquake triggered the world's worst nuclear crisis since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, but Alaska state health and environmental officials have said there's little need to be worried that debris landing on Alaska shores will be contaminated by radiation. They have been working with federal counterparts to gauge the danger of debris including material affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild game could be affected.

In January, a half dozen large buoys suspected to be from Japanese oyster farms appeared at the top of Alaska's panhandle and may be among the first debris from the tsunami.
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I'm surprised nobody has claimed it simply for the scrap tonnage of the boat. Tow her in, cut her up, barge back where she'll essentially go back to the region in which she started life as that's who's buying up a bulk of the scrap material these days. (China specifically)

I'm sure Green Peace will have their say on the 2000g of fuel going down with her. Unless they put on a real fire works show with the big stuff.

SHAZAM · Apr 5, 2012

I've seen far worse than the Ryou-Un Maru moving cargo throughout the Caribbean, if the vessel was near Miami I'm sure it would fetch several hundred grand!

Capt J · Apr 5, 2012

I don't know why some Salvage company hasn't hooked up to her and claimed her as salvage. The only reason I can figure that the US Coast Guard wants to sink her, is they're afraid that she might have radioactivity. It looks like that if it was fixed up, it'd make a great crab boat and considering it's already near Alaska.

carelm · Apr 6, 2012

The Coast Guard sank it with a couple of cannon shots. It went down in an area where the ocean is about 6,000 ft deep.

PropBet · Apr 6, 2012

A Japanese derelict that's been aimlessly roaming the ocean since last year's tsunami has been sent to Davy Jones' Locker at last.
A US Coast Guard cutter opened fire on the Ryou-Un Maru off the coast of Alaska yesterday with high explosive ammunition, setting it on fire and sending smoke billowing into the air, the AP reports. The ship disappeared beneath the waves four hours later. A Coast Guard cargo plane dropped a buoy to monitor potential pollution.
No one is sure precisely how much fuel was in the Ryou-Un Maru—its tank could hold more than 2,000 gallons of diesel—but officials downplayed the pollution risk.
"It's less risky than it would be running into shore or running into traffic," a spokesman said. The ship was already slated to be scrapped when the tsunami set it adrift, so it had no cargo or crew.
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Watch the (very uneventful) video:
Raw Video: Coast Guard Sinks Ghost Ship - YouTube

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