In the sinking accident of a sightseeing boat off the coast of Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, the Japan Transport Safety Board has revealed data that seems to have become normal for operations that deviate from the route notified in advance.

In April, 14 passengers died in an accident in which the tourist boat "KAZU 1" sank off the coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula, and the whereabouts of 12 people are still unknown.



On the 10th, the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the cause of the accident, provided the Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism with the operation data revealed in the investigation so far.



According to that, when "KAZU 1" analyzed the track records of the equipment installed until June last year, it was found that the "standard route" that had been notified to the Transportation Bureau was used on the outbound route from Utoro Port in Shari Town to Cape Shiretoko. There was a tendency to deviate and approach the coast, and on the return trip that was supposed to operate along the coast, there was a tendency to sail offshore from the "standard route", so it seems that the operation that deviated from the route was normalized. .



In addition, the "reference route" included places where a mishandling could lead to an accident, such as a place where the distance from the reef is only about 50 meters and a place where the water depth is 5 to 10 meters.



The Japan Transport Safety Board will continue to investigate the cause of the accident.