Passengers who had set off for an approximately three-hour ferry ride from Tokyo on Wednesday, July 24, were happy to be back on land after a nearly 20-hour ordeal when the vessel broke down. The high-speed jetfoil ferry Seven Islands Ai was bound for a popular tourist destination when the vessel radioed that it was experiencing a loss in propulsion.
Reports indicate there were 116 passengers including children bound from Tokyo to Shikinejima island. The ferry departed at 7:45 a.m. local time bound out to the volcanic islands approximately 100 miles south of Tokyo. The destinations are popular with tourists due to the sandy beaches and hot springs. The ferry is capable of traveling at speeds up to 50 mph.
Japanese media reports indicated that the crew of five aboard radioed that they were experiencing an oil leak and ultimately lost steering control after having exited Tokyo Bay. The Coast Guard dispatched a vessel but was experiencing a challenging situation due to waves and high winds. The ferry was drifting in the ocean with many passengers reporting they were vomiting and feeling unwell. Passengers told the media that they had been unable to sleep due to the motion of the vessel bobbing in the ocean.
The Coast Guard used a helicopter initially to transfer food and water to the stranded passengers. A larger Coast Guard vessel was ultimately able to secure the ferry and began towing it to Okada Port.
When they were able to get closer to port, a tugboat came alongside and completed the tow to the dock where the vessel was alongside by around 5:40 am Thursday morning, 20 hours after the departure from Tokyo.
The operator of the ferry, Tokai Kisen apologized and arranged for the passengers to first be accommodated in a hotel. They sent a replacement vessel to transfer those people that wanted to continue the trip of which 30 passengers took advantage of the transport. The others returned to Tokyo on a regularly scheduled ferry.
source: maritime executive