KAWASAKI - A long-abandoned sightseeing boat that has sat tilted in a canal in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, for nearly eight years is finally being removed by city authorities after officials determined the deteriorating vessel posed a serious safety risk.
The vessel, which resembles a stranded pirate ship as it leans heavily to one side, was once used for sightseeing cruises around Tokyo Bay and other nearby waters.
On June 17, Kawasaki City began administrative enforcement procedures to remove the abandoned boat, with numerous workers boarding the vessel and carefully inspecting its interior before dismantling operations proceed.
The sightseeing boat has remained at the industrial-area dock since around 2018. Over the years, its condition has worsened significantly. Part of the first floor is submerged, windows have been shattered, and the structure has become increasingly hazardous.
A person who has worked in the area for more than 20 years recalled that the vessel had once broken free from its moorings and drifted to its current location. Residents also said the abandoned boat had at one point drifted and collided with a bridge.
Kawasaki City repeatedly instructed the vessel's operating company and related parties to move or remove the boat, but the warnings went unanswered for eight years. Concluding that the risk could no longer be ignored, the city decided to carry out a compulsory removal.
"We are entering typhoon season, so we want to complete the removal before a powerful typhoon arrives," said Kaoru Akabane, section chief at the Kawasaki Port Management Center under the Kawasaki City Port and Harbor Bureau.
The removal is expected to cost more than 33 million yen, with the city planning to bill the vessel's owners and related parties for the expense.
Source: FNN
