Photo/Illutration Seiichi Katsurada, the president of Shiretoko Pleasure Boat, explains his decision to allow the Kazu I boat to leave port at a news conference held April 27. (Wataru Sekita)

The president of a pleasure boat company embroiled in a tragedy at sea off eastern Hokkaido admitted that in hindsight it was a mistake to have allowed one of its boats to embark on a cruise off the Shiretoko Peninsula last weekend with 26 people on board.

Seiichi Katsurada, 58, the president of Shiretoko Pleasure Boat, held a news conference April 27 to explain the events that led to his decision to allow the Kazu I pleasure boat to leave Utoro Port in Shari on April 23.

Eleven bodies have been recovered so far, but 15 passengers and crew members remain missing.

“I gave conditional approval for the boat to leave port because in the morning the wind and waves were not very strong,” Katsurada said. “But looking at it now, that was a mistake.”

He explained that two hours before the Kazu I was scheduled to depart, he talked with the skipper, Noriyuki Toyoda, 54, and agreed to allow the shallow-hulled boat to venture out, but on condition it turned around if conditions became turbulent.

Katsurada explained that company guidelines on pleasure boats leaving port prohibit departures if waves are gusting at more than 1 meter high. According to the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, the waves around Utoro Port were 32 centimeters at 10 a.m. on April 23, when the Kazu I left.

But with cautions issued in the morning about strong winds and high waves, the weather in the region was expected to worsen in the afternoon.

By 1:30 p.m., waves had reached heights of around 3 meters, which engulfed the boat.

Katsurada also explained the company had no guidelines about wave height for aborting a trip and only said it was up to the captain to decide when to turn around if he felt there was any danger to the boat.

“From the vantage point of now after causing such a terrible accident, it was a mistake to decide (to allow the boat to leave),” Katsurada said.

He also admitted that the radio antenna at the company office was broken on the morning the Kazu I left port and also said the boat was not equipped with a satellite phone because that device had also malfunctioned.

Katsurada said no decision was made to cancel the trip because he felt it would be possible to communicate with the skipper by mobile phone or radio operated by other pleasure boat companies located nearby.

However, he admitted he did not consult with the other companies before the Kazu I left port. Katsurada also said the company office at no time was able to communicate with the boat about the need for a rescue mission.

“I believe that outcome was due to poor safety management on our part,” Katsurada said.

He said he only learned about the defective satellite phone after the accident. The company failed to adequately check on all safety measures before the Kazu I left because it was the first trip for the company this season, Katsurada explained.

Related News