The Prefecture requests removal of grounded ship, but shipping company explains that it is in the process of selecting a contractor. (24my23)


Splendor of Okinawa: Dahlia, roadside Uruma, 24my23


In January of this year, the foreign cargo ship Shinkai Zu 2, registered in Panama as 8,000 tons and 140 meters in length, ran aground in the offing of Hama Island in Taketomi District.


On 23 May, the Yaeyama Joint Prefectural Office requested that the shipping company remove the hull and it cargo as soon as possible. Senior staff Maritime Incident Inspector Ryu Sengen and Environmental Consultant Richard Schull, commissioned by the shipping company’s maritime insurance company, were on hand.


The Prefecture requested an explanation from the relevant parties on the contents of work underway and measures to speedily complete the work to assure that there be no effects on the natural environment. The request document carried Governor Denny Tamaki‘s signature.


The document, addressed to the ship’s and the cargo’s owners, requested the speedy removal of the cargo ship. According to the shipping company, procedures were progressing with the insurance association for the removal of the ship.


After international bidding is finished, the next step is choosing a contractor from the bidders. Assuming a contractor will be chosen within a few weeks, the removal can be expected in 6 to 9 months.


In case of reef damage or the need for coral replanting, the Prefecture warned that prefectural fishing regulations will apply and the Prefecture’s permission will be required. The Prefecture also expressed concern over the cargo still being discharged from the grounded ship, especially a large amount of wood chips.


The shipping company expressed their intention of continuing the work of gathering the chips, which local fishermen have been requested to do since the end of March.


After a cursory confirmation of the state of the grounded ship, Richard Schull reported, “The work of gathering up the spilled cargo at the bottom of the sea is progressing well. The cargo material collected is gradually decreasing.” To keep the wood chips from floating away, a net has been set up. On that topic Ryu Sengen responded, “Due to the large swell on the surface of the sea from the north, we’d like to consider what countermeasures might be possible.”


Prefectural Governor’s Public Office Chief Masahito Tamari noted his concerns, “We’d like to request that there be no further widening of the damage after this.” He also requested that an explanation be given to Ishigaki City and Taketomi District, within the radius of the focal point of the work. The shipping company replied, “We agree to that.”


The cargo ship was bound for Ishigaki Island when it ran aground on 24 January and was left dead in the water. Its Chinese crew of 19 was rescued. However, the hull was left as it was. The destruction of coral under one part of the hull has been confirmed. 


On 28 April, Ishigaki City and Taketomi District made a petition to the Prefecture requesting an explanation on the work of removing the grounded cargo ship.


Original Japanese article: Yaeyama Daily News, published Wednesday 24 May 2023 at 04:00

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ef7dbb582ab20cd5d3527761ab75aa5aa32822a5


Denny in the News: news about Governor Denny Tamaki.


Denny Tamaki is the governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Although Okinawa is important as an international tourist destination and a key element in strategic US Military Forces, its governor receives very little coverage in the Japanese press and almost none in the English language media. 


This blog hopes to  translate one news article a day on the governor.  It is unsponsored and unauthorized. The translator simply hopes to improve his skills and perhaps give the governor an English speaking audience. 


Any suggestion on improving the translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.


Where they occur, words and phrases in Ryukyuan (the Okinawan language) are rendered in italics and translated in parentheses. Names  whose readings are uncertain are rendered as Name (=Kanji?) as in Nagayuki (=長行?). Any corrections in such instances would be gratefully appreciated.



 

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