Co-op Venture

The incident

On 25 July 2002, due to a typhoon the Panamanian cargo vessel Co-op Venture, transporting a cargo of corn, ran aground in Shibushi Bay, 1.6 km off Osaki (Japan). During this accident, the ship sustained a split hull and has been stranded ever since.

The bunker fuel oil dispersion was promoted by rough conditions but a few hours after the grounding, containment devices were set up. Clean-up operations were rapidly planned and they took place on the Japanese coastline from 30 July to 1 August with 550 persons.

Pumping operations were performed effectively from 4 to 15 August and 70 % of the bunker fuel was recovered. Hydrogen sulphide emanations resulting from the corn decomposition caused the death of 4 people. Until 27 December, the remains of the Co-op Venture were salvaged with a crane ship.

Sources:

- MAMACA E., GIRIN M., LE FLOCH S. and EL ZIR R., 2009, Are HNS spills more dangerous than oil spills? A white paper for the Interspill 2009 Conference and the 4th IMO R&D Forum, Marseille, France, May 2009, p. 60
- Japan Coast Guard, 2003, Co-op Venture incident and its response