KOTA DUTA

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Master arrested after collision

The Japan Coast Guard on Feb 8, 2012, arrested the captains of the "Kota Duta" and "Tanya Karpinskaya" for suspected professional negligence endangering shipping traffic after their vessels collided in Niigata port on Feb 7. The Russian skipper of the Russian-registered freighter and the Polish master of the 6Singaporean-registered container ship were suspected of failing to prevent the collision, which caused the "Tanya Karpinskaya" to sink. The Russian vessel was moving to a different pier inside the port when it collided with the "Kota Duta", which was about to leave port. All 17 crew members were rescued. Two used vehicles and some 1,300 tons of scrap metal were on board the Russian ship that left Russia on Jan. 22 and arrived in Niigata port on Feb 6. The "Tanya Karpinskaya" came to the port to return the vehicles to Japan after Russian authorities refused to allow them into the country due to higher-than-allowed radiation levels detected on them.