A Japanese fishing vessel believed to have been cast adrift in the 2011 tsunami disaster will soon find a new life as a tour boat exploring British Columbia’s shores.
The eight-metre-long craft was discovered in March 2013 washed ashore near Klemtu, on B.C.’s north coast, and has since been repaired for launch into the tourism industry this month.
Tim McGrady, the general manager of Spirit Bear Adventures, said they will use the vessel on tours of the Great Bear Rainforest, about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.
The boat, which has been renamed Japanese Drifter, was found with kanji markings and an intact engine, leading salvagers to believe it was washed away during the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that killed as many as 19,000 people.
The disaster also triggered multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Boat found with engine intact
McGrady, 49, said it’s probable the boat was swept away during the disaster because it’s rare for vessels with intact engines to be cast adrift unless they are washed away by waves.
“It would be one thing if the boat was just found as an empty shell, but the boat was found with its engine on it,” said McGrady “It clearly was functioning at some point before it left the harbour.”
CBC 2014