Ferry Collision Off Hokkaido Coast Kills Fisherman, Two Missing, Coast Guard Launches Urgent Search

Hakodate, Japan— A passenger ferry slammed into a small fishing boat just off the Hokkaido coast on the morning of October 20, killing one fisherman and leaving two others missing in cold, choppy water.

The Japan Coast Guard said the call came in at 6:42 a.m. local time. The fishing vessel, a 9-ton squid boat with three crew aboard, was operating about 12 kilometers northeast of Esashi Port when the ferry, on its scheduled run to Hakodate, struck it near the stern. The impact rolled the smaller boat. It took on water fast.

One man, 62, was pulled from the sea by a nearby fishing cooperative vessel within 40 minutes. He was pronounced dead at Esashi Municipal Hospital. The other two, the captain aged 58 and a deckhand aged 24, remain unaccounted for. Patrol boats and a helicopter were still sweeping the area by mid-afternoon, fighting a two-meter swell and low visibility.

The ferry, the Blue Mermaid, carries up to 450 passengers. Officials said none of the 210 passengers and crew aboard were injured. The hull showed damage along the bow but stayed watertight. It was ordered to hold position off Okushiri Island for inspection. Passengers were later transferred to another ferry.

What happened in those minutes is now the core question. The Coast Guard said initial radio traffic suggests the fishing boat was drifting with its engine idling while hauling nets. The ferry crew claims it sounded its horn twice before impact. A Coast Guard investigator in Sapporo said, "We need to check the radar logs, the AIS tracks, and the bridge voice recorder. Someone did not see the other vessel in time. That is clear."

Fishermen in Esashi said this stretch is notorious. Fast ferries cut through grounds where small boats sit low in the water, lights dim at dawn. One cooperative head, who knew the missing captain for 20 years, said, "He knew these waters better than anyone. The ferry route changed last year. They come faster now. We told the company this would happen."

Kyodo News reported the ferry operator has had two minor contact incidents in the last three years, both in poor light conditions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said it has dispatched marine accident investigators to Hakodate and will board the ferry tonight.

The search window is narrowing. Water temperature off northern Hokkaido this week is 14 degrees Celsius. Survival time without an immersion suit is measured in hours, not days. The Coast Guard said it will continue the search through the night with infrared-equipped aircraft and four patrol vessels.

For now the ferry remains detained. The fishing boat has sunk. The families are waiting at the port office.