Then Officials of JR Kyushu Ferry Unit Referred to Prosecutors
Fukuoka, April 9 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Coast Guard on Wednesday sent to public prosecutors papers on eight then officials of JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Inc. and the company itself over a case of covering up a ship leak last year.
The eight, including Wataru Tanaka, former president of the company, a unit of Kyushu Railway Co., or JR Kyushu, are suspected of violating the ship safety law and the maritime transportation law.
This was the first safety assurance order violation recognized by the JCG under the the maritime transportation law, which was revised to toughen penalties in the wake of the April 2022 fatal tour boat sinking off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, northern Japan.
According to the JCG and others, JR Kyushu Jet Ferry discovered a leak on the bow of its Queen Beetle high-speed passenger ship in February last year, but did not immediately report the issue to the transport ministry's Kyushu District Transport Bureau.
The company continued to operate the Queen Beetle between the port of Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, and the South Korean city of Busan until it reported the matter to the transport bureau in late May last year.
(2025/04/09-18:05)
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