Floating Drydock Sinks Near the Port of Hiroshima

On Tuesday morning, a floating drydock at the small port of Saka, Japan partially sank alongside a pier. 

The dock is a 180 foot by 110 foot platform used for repairing smaller vessels and for scrapping. The Hiroshima Maritime Security Department said that it received a report about the sinking from a ship repair facility at about 0810 hours on Tuesday morning. No injuries were reported, and the floating dock released only a small quantity of fuel into the water. 

According to local media, the dock listed enough that one of its cranes contacted the bottom of the seabed. Its current situation is stable, according to authorities, and dive inspections are under way to determine the next steps for a refloat operation. 

From geolocation, the facility appears to be the TES shipyard in the Yokohamanishi district of Saka. A small patch of sheen can be seen in video footage from the scene, and containment boom has been emplaced around the drydock to prevent the spread of any pollution.

The Hiroshima Maritime Security Department is investigating the circumstances of the sinking.