In response to the grounding of Crimson Polaris that occurred off the coast of Hachinohe on August 11, NYK will make a total of 11 dispatches of 10 employees each (totaling 110 employees) by September 11 to assist with the area clean-up.

As the charterer of the vessel, NYK has sent company personnel to the site to assist with the clean-up of the cargo and other debris that has washed ashore. Under the guidance of the Maritime Disaster Prevention Center, we have been cleaning up the coast of Rokkasho village in Aomori prefecture.

By August 23, we had completed three dispatches of 10 employees each for two days and one night, and we will conduct eight more dispatches of the same number of employees for the same duration. To prevent the spread of the COVID-19, NYK workers will be taking appropriate infection-control measures and work under the guidance of the cleaning contractor.

NYK has organized a crisis management center led by NYK president Hitoshi Nagasawa to rapidly address the situation. Company personnel have been sent to the site, and necessary support will be provided to the shipowner and ship-management company. We hope the situation will be brought to a safe and timely conclusion.

Profile of Crimson Polaris

Type of ship: Wood-chip carrier
Length/Breadth: 199.9M / 32.2M
GRT: 39,910 tonnes
Built: 2008
Seafarers: 21 (Chinese, Filipino)
Flag: Panama
Shipowner: MI-DAS Line S.A. (an affiliate of Doun Kisen Co. Ltd.)
Ship-management company: Misuga Kaiun Co. Ltd.

* Maritime Disaster Prevention Center
The purpose of the organization is to contribute to the protection of human life and limb and property by performing duties to implement measures to prevent the occurrence and spread of maritime disasters; possessing vessels, machinery and equipment, and materials necessary for maritime disaster prevention; conducting training and other duties related to maritime disaster prevention measures; and contributing to the promotion of international cooperation for the prevention of maritime disasters.