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Jet ferry apparently hits whale, some passengers injured+
[March 05, 2006]

Jet ferry apparently hits whale, some passengers injured+


(Japan Economic Newswire Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)NAGASAKI, March 5_(Kyodo) _ A jet ferry collided with an object believed to have been a whale on Sunday off Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, slightly injuring some passengers, Japan Coast Guard officials said.



A total of 90 passengers and seven crew members were on the 162-ton Beetle No. 3 at the time of the accident, they said.

The ferry left Busan, South Korea, at 8:45 a.m. and was headed for Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, when it hit something around 10:20 a.m.


The ferry made an emergency stop at Hitakatsu port in Tsushima around 2 p.m. after it could not be navigated at high speed due to the accident. Passengers were transferred to another jet ferry to reach Hakata port, according to the officials.

Jet ferries connecting Busan and Hakata have experienced similar accidents in the past, and JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Inc. has since taken preventive measures such as playing sounds that whales dislike using speakers.

The Beetle No. 3 was involved in a similar accident in February off Tsushima, the officials said.

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