The 821 foot long. 24460 dwt logistics US Naval Vessel Sgt. Matej Kocak ran aground offf Uruma, Okinawa. The container vessel stranded on a coral reef and was unable to refloat itself on the following high tide. Tugs were dispatched to help stabilized the vessel. No reports of injuries to the 131 persons on board. Reports state the vesssel hull had no damage and no pollution was released.
The 294 meter long, 63046 dwt container vessel Mol Express ran aground at Tateyama, Chiba, Japan. The Mol Express was en route to Tokyo from Auckland when the boxship suffered engine failure. The boxship was able to enter the harbor and dropped anchor, but the vessel was blown on to nearby shallow waters by strong winds. No reports of injuries to the 25 crew on board. The following day four tugs were unable to refloat the Mol Express on the high tide. No reports of damage or pollution released. Reports state the Mol Express was headed to a shipyard for repairs on its main engine.
The 80 meter long, 1915 dwt dredger Ming Guang capsized and sank off Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The Ming Guang was en route to Gwangyang, South Korea from Hakodate with a cargo of scrap metal when it suffered a leak in the Tsugaru Strait. The crew was unable to stop the water ingress and the dredger began to list over. The 10 crew sent out a distress call and abandon ship before the Ming Guang capsized and sank. The Japan Coast Guard responded quickly and pulled all 10 crew members from the water. However, three of the crewmen were unconscious and later perished before they could reach hospital. Local reports state the chief engineer and captain of the Ming Guang lacked documentation to operate the vessel. Additional reports state the men had worked as labourers before being appointed as captain and chief engineer.
