Photo/Illutration Ferry passengers wait for their families to pick them up on July 31 at Tomakomai West Port Ferry Terminal in Hokkaido, having disembarked one day late due to tsunami warnings. (Hidehito Matsumoto)

Mirroring those along the Pacific coast who stayed at evacuation centers overnight following tsunami warnings, 900 people spent the night stranded at sea, swaying with the waves. 

Due to a major 8.7-magnitude earthquake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, four ferries connecting Tomakomai in Hokkaido and Oarai in Ibaraki Prefecture were unable to dock until the morning of July 31.

Tsunami warnings and evacuation orders were issued at both ports after the quake that were followed by additional advisories.

As a result, a total of 900 crew and passengers spent the night offshore.

Disembarkation finally began at 9 a.m. on July 31.

According to MOL Sunflower Ltd., which operates the ferry service, the Furano was scheduled to arrive in Tomakomai at 1:30 p.m. the previous day while the Sapporo was scheduled to dock in Oarai at 2 p.m.— but both waited offshore.

Two additional vessels that were meant to arrive at both ports that night also remained on standby.

Tsunami advisories were still in effect, but considering the condition of the passengers who had spent a long time onboard, the company and the Japan Coast Guard continued discussions. Eventually they judged that safety could be ensured, and permission to enter the ports were granted by 8:30 a.m. on July 31.

Shortly after 9 a.m., disembarkation of 320 passengers from the Furano began.

Passengers of both ferries were provided dinner and breakfast for free while waiting at sea. The company said there were no reports of anyone feeling unwell.

Natsuhiro Arita, 35, a company employee from Sapporo, spent the night on the Furano, which was anchored off Tomakomai. With him were his wife and their 6-month-old son; they were returning from introducing their first grandchild to his parents living in the Kanto region.

Around noon on July 30, there was an announcement on the ship that it would take time to dock. Meals were provided free of charge, but in the event of an emergency, Arita purchased bottled water and high-calorie snacks from the onboard shop.

The planned one-night, two-day sea trip unexpectedly turned into two nights.

Arita said, “I was worried about running out of diapers and spare clothes since I have an infant with me.”

After finally disembarking, he discovered that the trains from JR Tomakomai Station were still out of service.

“It seems like it will be difficult to get home from here,” Arita said.

Takumi Shima, 32, a racecar driver, was also on the Furano. He was scheduled to compete in a race at the Tokachi Speedway in Hokkaido and was traveling with two fellow drivers.

It took more than 36 hours from boarding to disembarking. Shima said he felt tired.

“We were scheduled to have practice runs starting on July 31, but I wonder if that will be possible,” he said.

As of 10 a.m. on July 31, tsunami advisories were still in effect at the ports.

To prevent accidents at the harbors, the crew of the four ferries were expected to remain onboard and return offshore after the 767 passengers finished disembarking.

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