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Faulty judgement of situation may have caused tanker accident

Wind forces exceeding 216 kilometres per hour were believed to have been the reason why the "Hound Maru" crashed against the bridge connecting Kansai International Airport to mainland Osaka. The tanker was anchored around two kilometres southeast of the airport in the morning of Sep 4. In view of the deteriorating weather conditions, the Japan Coast Guard advised vessels to keep a distance of at least 5,5 kilometres from Kansai airport. The Coast Guard Osaka Bay vessel traffic service centre warned the tanker that it was being pushed by the strong winds at 1 p.m. and again at 1.45 p.m. However, the captain decided to anchor the tanker in a different location, judging that it was safer, but it was still pushed towards the bridge. Meanwhile, the heavily damaged "Houn Maru" was towed to dock in Hiroshima by two tugs, but it was likely to become a CTL. Report with photo: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20180911/p2a/00m/0na/034000c

Typhoon swept tanker into bridge

When the typhoon Jebi made landfall, the "Houn Maru" which had been moored in the Osaka Bay dragged anchor was swept towards the approximately 3,700-meter-long bridge connecting the airport of Osaka with the mainland on Sep 4, 2018, around 1 p.m., damaging the sole gateway to the airport that sits on a manmade island in Osaka Bay. None of the ship's 11 crew members were injured in the incident. They were meanwhile evacuated. The tanker was severely damaged and suffered water ingress in the engine room. In the run of the day, the tugs "Seiyo Maru", "Tsurugi" and "Shinko Maru No. 3" were called to assist the tanker which was stuck broadside at the bridge with the accomodation block entangled in the structure. On Sep 8 the heavily damaged wreck was towed to Hiroshima. The airport closed all of its runways at noon and shut down the entire facility from 3 p.m. due to flooding of the runway and the basement floor of a terminal building. Dozens of salvage barges were also swept away at Kobe-Osaka port after their ropes snapped due to the strong winds. While some people remained onboard, there has been no report of injuries. The tanker "Kaiyu Maru No. 2", 648 dwt (IMO: 9016129) was beached nearby. The pusher tug "Kyuei Maru No 18" dragged its anchor and ran aground with its crane barge "Tukasa", and cranes at the container terminal collapsed. Reports with photos and videos: https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/osaka-ein-schwerer-sturm-legt-japans-zweitgroesste-industrieregion-lahm/22993710.html?ticket=ST-3656609-2leqoqWYSHbWLaeNUFLe-ap3 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-04/japan-typhoon-sends-2600-tonne-tanker-crashing-into-bridge/10200814 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=j__9KIei63Y https://e.rpp-noticias.io/xlarge/2018/09/04/672529efe-magen-cedida-por-los-guarda-costas-de-japon-de-un-barco-colisionado-con-un-puente-cercano-al-aeropuerto-kansai-como-consecuencia-de-las-fuertes-rachas-de-viento-por-el-tifon-jebi-en-osaka-japon-el-4-de-septiembre-del-2018jpg.jpg https://www.japantimes.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/n-airport-a-20180905.jpg https://www.linternaute.com/actualite/depeches/1485595-typhon-au-japon-dix-morts-des-centaines-de-blesses-et-le-chaos-a-l-aeroport-d-osaka/