Watch: Giant Cargo Ship Crimson Polaris Snaps in Half After Japanese Port Accident

A massive cargo ship snapped in half while anchored just off the northeastern coast of Japan on [...]

By Michael Hein

A massive cargo ship snapped in half while anchored just off the northeastern coast of Japan on Thursday, but thankfully there were no casualties. The 40,000-ton Crimson Polaris suffered an accidental split that widened until the whole ship split, according to a report by Reuters. The Japanese Coast Guard helped to evacuate the ship safely.

The Crimson Polaris was flying the Panamanian flag and was on schedule to reach the Hachinohe Port in Japan on Wednesday morning. However, strong winds reportedly blew the vessel off course at the last minute, causing it to run aground in shallow water. It was there that the hull was initially cracked, the ship's operator Nippon Yusen said. That damage continued to worsen until the ship could no longer hold together.

The ship moved out to sea and anchored while it awaited help, but over the next 24 hours, the damage gradually worsened. The Japanese Coast Guard arrived to evacuate all 21 crew members, and just in time. As the harrowing footage above shows, the ship snapped into two pieces and sank.

"A portion of the ship's wood-chip cargo was lost from the damaged part of the hull, NYK is currently confirming the amount of cargo and impact on the sea area at the site," said Nippon in a public statement. Nippon also claimed that "no oil pollution has occurred," although Reuters reported that a 3-mile-long oil slick could be seen in the ship's wake. Patrol boats on the scene were reportedly conducting containment operations.

Authorities say they are still monitoring the wreckage of the Crimson Polaris as it settles to the bottom of the ocean. It is still in relatively shallow water, but there's no word on whether it will need to be moved.

More than a few commenters wondered what is going on with the shipping and freight industry, as this accident joins a slew of other recent similar headlines. The most prominent came in March when the Suez Canal in Egypt was blocked by the massive container ship the Ever Given. The ship was stuck for days, halting shipping itineraries and causing immense disruptions in economies all over the world.

The shipping industry is scrambling to catch up after nearly two years of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortages on raw materials and other supplies are all compounded by the difficulty in importing and exporting those items. Economists continue to speculate about when the supply chain will be back to normal.

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