Tanker Explodes Off Japan, Captain Missing

Update: The captain of the Japanese tanker that exploded on May 29 was found dead two days later, according to the Japanese Coast Guard.

The body of Masaichi Ando, 64, was found after a search lasting more than 24 hours. Ando was the only one of the Shoko Maru's eight-man crew who was not rescued following the explosion.

Divers found Ando's body in the hold of the ship after it sank and his family has identified the body.

The Shoko Maru subsequently sank about 10 hours after the explosion.

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DWT tanker, the Shoko Maru, has suffered what is being described as one of the worst accidents in energy shipping in the past decade.

The captain of the vessel is missing and four crew members are being treated for severe burns. Akihiro Komura, an official from Syoho Shipping, the Hiroshima-based shipowner, says that seven of the eight Japanese crew are safe. Early reports indicate that one of the crew was removing paint with a grinder, and this may have triggered the blast when some oil caught fire.

The tanker has been dowsed with water and is listing heavily. There are reports suggesting that the interior of the ship may still be extremely hot and is at risk of catching fire again.

The tanker was virtually empty at the time and located around 450km west of Tokyo. This vessel, operated exclusively in the Far East region, has no records of casualties or safety infractions during its service. 

In terms of accidents, Asian waters are among the safest, recording only 154 accidents out of more than 1,600 between Northeast and Southeast Asia combined.  The Straits of Malacca, Eastern China, Japan, and the Philippines are among the worst due to the traffic volume.

A recent study shows that product tankers are considered the most accident prone shipping types, followed by LPG tankers. Crude tankers such as the Shoko Maru, account for 19 incidents. This number is largely based on collisions, followed by strandings, with very few incidents of fires or explosions due to the low flammability of crude.

Graphs courtesy of Gary Li, Senior Analyst, IHS Maritime