Kazu I

Kazu I at Utoro Port Shari, Hokkaido, 2014
History
NameKazu I
OperatorShiretoko Pleasure Cruise
Port of registryJapan Hokkaido, Japan
RouteShiretoko Peninsula
Launched1985
In service1985
FateSank on 23 April 2022 with twenty six people on board
General characteristics
TypeTourist boat
Tonnage19 GRT
Crew2

The Kazu I (Hepburn: kazu wan) was a 19-ton tourist boat operating off the Hokkaido island of Japan, travelling around the Shiretoko Peninsula.[1] The boat was operated by the Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise (知床遊覧船, Shiretoko Yūransen). The Shiretoko Peninsula, designated a natural World Heritage Site in 2005, is a popular destination for observing drift ice and rare animals.[1]

The boat sank on 23 April 2022 with 26 people on board. Fourteen bodies have been recovered with twelve missing. As of April 20, 2023, 20 bodies had been recovered, 6 are still missing; no bodies have been found since August, 2022.[2] No survivors were found.

  1. ^ a b "Ten confirmed dead after tour boat with 26 goes missing off Hokkaido". The Japan Times. April 24, 2022.
  2. ^ ナギーブモスタファ (reporter Nagib Mustafa) (Apr 20, 2023). "桂田精一社長の今 知床観光船沈没事故から１年 追悼式典「呼ばれてないから行けない」【誓いの海】Katsurada Sei'ichi shacho no ima: Shiretoko Kankosen chinbotsu jiko kara ichinen: tsuitoshikiten "Yobaretenai kara ikenai" Chikai no Umi" [CEO Sei'ichi Katsurada today: one year since the Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise Boat Incident: memorial service "Since I haven't been asked, I won't be going" Oceanic Buddhist Vow]. YouTube (in Japanese). ＨＢＣニュース (北海道放送 Hokkaido Broadcasting). Retrieved November 9, 2023. (1:16) Number of recovered bodies. (3:50) wind speed rating. The "Oceanic Great Vow" of the video title refers to the Bodhisattva vow, referring to (6:50), CEO Katsurada told journalist Nagib Mustafa that once every month he writes the names of the victims on a tablet(s), goes to the Buddhist temple of an acquaintance, and participates in a memorial service. "I can't do anything more than this."