Elementary school students included as additional passengers onboard Pleasure boat operating in excess of capacity - Nagasaki/Iki
Quick Look
- It has been discovered that a chartered pleasure boat for a middle school school trip was sailing off the coast of Iki Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, with 86 people on board, approximately 1.7 times its capacity.
- More than 10 elementary school students were involved, and there were no life jackets for children on board.
- The Japan Coast Guard is interrogating the captain and others.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Japan Coast Guard is questioning the captain of a chartered excursion boat for a junior high school field trip off the coast of Iki Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, over a problem that exceeded its capacity. The ship's capacity was 48 passengers and two crew members, but there were actually 86 people on board.
Regarding an issue in which a chartered pleasure boat carrying junior high school students on a school trip temporarily sailed off the coast of Iki Island in Nagasaki Prefecture with approximately 1.7 times the capacity, it was revealed through interviews with officials on the 12th that more than 10 elementary school students were among the passengers who were allowed to board the boat in excess of its capacity.
Pleasure boat sailing with 1.7 times the capacity? Chartered for junior high school field trip - Japan Coast Guard investigates, interviews with captain - off the coast of Nagasaki and Iki Island
According to officials, in mid-October, the pleasure boat carried a total of 47 third-year junior high school students and teachers from Hiroshima City and headed for Tatsunoshima Island, about 2 kilometers offshore from Katsumoto Port in the northern part of Iki Island. After arriving, the captain decided to bring a group of 20 passengers, including elderly people, on board after an elderly person who had stayed earlier asked for help, saying, ``My legs and back were so tired that I couldn't walk.''
Later, for some reason, 13 elementary school students and six leaders from another group also boarded the ship, leaving the ship with a total of 86 passengers.
The ship's capacity was 48 passengers and two crew members.
The sightseeing boat is the ``Emerald Iki'' (17 tons) operated by the Katsumoto Town Fisheries Cooperative on Iki Island. A fishing association official said, ``It was a mistake to put other passengers on the charter flight. (The captain) lacked sufficient training.''
According to the Kyushu Transport Bureau, the ship was equipped with life jackets for 65 adults, but none for children. Six lifesaving flotation devices were also installed.
The Ship Safety Act states that in waters with calm waves, there is no need to carry life jackets for all passengers as long as there is sufficient flotation equipment. However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism urges children to choose clothes that suit their physique when wearing them.
The ship returned safely to Katsumoto Port, and there were no injuries. The 7th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters is voluntarily interviewing the captain and others with a view to investigating possible violations of the law.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Captains and others may be referred to prosecutors on suspicion of violating the Ship Safety Act
Likely · Within weeks
Consideration will be given to strengthening tour boat operation regulations and safety measures.
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- Why were elementary school students from different groups and their leaders decided to board the ship?
- Results of the interview with the captain and others and future punishment
- Whether similar overcapacity operations have occurred in the past
