Israeli shipper to pay families over crewmen’s deaths

Written by Writer on Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Israeli shipper to pay families over crewmen’s deaths

KUSHIRO, Hokkaido (Kyodo) The owner of an Israeli freighter will compensate the families of crew members of a Japanese fishing boat killed when the vessels collided off northern Japan in 2005, lawyers for both sides said after an agreement was reached Wednesday at the Kushiro District Court.

The lawyers declined to disclose the exact amount, but said the settlement would amount to several hundred million yen for the deaths of seven crew members aboard the saury boat Shinsei Maru No. 3.

Relatives had filed a damages suit with the court, demanding some ¥900 million in compensation from the shipping company that operates the freighter Zim Asia.

In May, the court recommended both sides seek an out-of-court settlement.

In the early hours of Sept. 28, 2005, the 41,507-ton freighter and the 19-ton boat collided in the Pacific off the coast of Nemuro, Hokkaido, capsizing the fishing boat and resulting in the deaths of all but one of its crew.

A Japanese marine accident inquiry determined in March 2007 that the fishing boat was primarily responsible for the collision.

The collision occurred because the Shinsei Maru No. 3 did not take action to avoid the Zim Asia, the Yokohama Marine Accident Inquiry Agency ruled.

The Japan Times
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008