Coast guard says Israeli ship hit fishing boat that capsized

SAPPORO (Kyodo) The Japan Coast Guard said Monday it has determined that a large Israeli containership collided last week with a Japanese fishing boat 40 km off Hokkaido, causing the smaller vessel to capsize and claiming the lives of seven of its crew.

Paint from the Israeli vessel, the 40,000-ton Zim Asia, matched fragments detected on the hull of the Shinsei Maru No. 3, which capsized in the collision, the coast guard said.

"It appears either that the two boats collided, or (otherwise) came into contact when the Zim Asia tried to pass the Shinsei Maru from behind," said Mitsuo Hamamoto, deputy head of the Japan Coast Guard's Nemuro branch.

Following the confirmation, the chairman of an Israeli shipping firm on Monday visited the Japanese Embassy in Tel Aviv and formally apologized for the accident.

Ambassador Jun Yokota said Idan Ofer, chairman of Israel Corp. that controls Zim Integrated Shipping Services, apologized to him and told him that, without a doubt, the 41,507-ton Zim Asia collided with the Shinsei Maru No. 3.

The captain of the ship had denied involvement in the accident, but Ofer said it has been reported to him that the captain had not noticed the accident when it happened.

He said a Zim representative would visit Japan to meet with relatives of the sailors and discuss the matter of financial compensation.

The Japanese government also said it will ask Israel to help look into the cause of the collision.

"It is extremely regrettable," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said of the accident. "We will request the necessary cooperation from Israel to investigate the cause.

"There first has to be confirmed evidence that the ship took part in the collision and then move on to issues, such as penalizing those who are responsible and compensation," he said.

The Israeli government Sunday dispatched an investigator to Hong Kong, where the Zim Asia is scheduled to call, Israeli media reported.

The 19-ton Shinsei Maru was found capsized early Wednesday in open seas off Nemuro, Hokkaido, and the bodies of seven of its eight crew members were found inside. The remaining crew member was rescued.

The ship arrived in Shanghai early Monday, and was to leave for Hong Kong later in the day.

Hiroshi Tokuno, 71, the father of Hisashi Tokuno, 43, one of the crew members who died in the accident, welcomed the fact that the government was quick to verify the other vessel involved in the collision.

"The confirmation came much earlier than I had expected. I hope the government holds the Israeli ship responsible for the accident," Tokuno said.

Rinko Sato, 55, whose husband, Toshinori, was killed in the capsizing, said the Israeli ship should have rescued the Shinsei Maru's crew.