The fishing ship Horiei Maru sank after collision with the bulk carrier Nikkei Tiger on 320 nautical miles off Honshu island. The accident happened far away from the shore in Pacific ocean after immediate change of the course of the fishing ship. On board of the fishing ship Horiei Maru there were 22 crew members and only 9 of them were rescued, as 13 others are missing in the cold water of the ocean. The bulk carrier Nikkei Tiger did not suffered any sufficient damages and was able to assist for search and rescue operations of the fishermen. The bulk carrier was proceeded to Eeat-North East direction, with course to North America, when on the radar appeared small fishing ship. The duty officer took safety maneuver to ensure large distance between the two ships, but the fishing vessel suddenly changed its course in front of the bow of the quite larger cargo ship.
The bulk carrier Nikkei Tiger (IMO: 9159438) has length of 189.00 m, beam of 31.00 m and summer draft of 10.00 m. The vessel has deadweight of 45,363 DWT and gross tonnage of 25,074 GRT. The bulk carrier was built in the Japanese shipyard Oshima Shipbuilding in 1997 and operated by Tamai Steamship.
The fishing ship Horiei Maru (IMO: 9218894) has gross tonnage of 119 GRT and was built in 1999 in Japanese shipyard of Higashi Kyushu Shipbuilding.