Sunken Japan tour boat raised to surface in second salvage attempt, 12 people still missing

On April 23, the tour boat went on a three-hour cruise around the Shiretoko Peninsula, with 26 people aboard, despite bad weather forecasts and warnings

The coastguard intends to launch an investigation into the cause of the accident, hoping to find clues about the fate of the 12 people unaccounted for

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A barge tries to salvage a sunken tour boat from a depth of about 180 metres off the Japanese main island of Hokkaido. The tour boat, which sank in late April with 26 people aboard, dropped back to the seabed while being towed by the barge operated by a salvage company on May 24. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 10:15am, 27 May 2022Updated: 10:43am, 27 May 2022

A tourist boat that sank off Hokkaido last month, leaving 14 people dead and 12 missing, was successfully raised to the surface Thursday after an initial attempt to salvage the vessel earlier this week resulted in it sinking to greater depths.

Nippon Salvage Co., hired by the Japan Coast Guard, lifted the 19-ton Kazu I from the seabed at a depth of 182 meters, with its hull breaking the surface at around 6:55pm.

According to the coastguard, the boat was lifted from the seabed around 3pm. Thursday, pulled up by nylon belts wrapped around its bow and stern and tightened to a steel frame lowered with wires.

While being taken to shallow waters, the vessel will be secured using belts and ropes in a “side-hugging” technique, with the starboard side of the Kazu I resting against the port side of the barge.

The belts are stronger than those used in the salvage company’s initial attempt. The tour boat will be transported to the port of Abashiri as early as Friday, and seawater will be drained for several days before finally bringing it ashore.

The boat was on the seabed about 11 kilometres west of Utoro port in Shari, from where it departed on April 23 for a three-hour cruise around the Shiretoko Peninsula, a World Natural Heritage site, with 26 people aboard, despite bad weather forecasts and warnings.

The boat dropped back to the seabed on Tuesday while being towed to shallow waters after it was raised to a depth of around 20 meters.