HIROSHIMA 每 The Japan Coast Guard is warning the public to take precautions after a series of boat accidents during summer fireworks festivals in the Seto Inland Sea.
Within the area covered by the JCG＊s 6th regional headquarters, based in the city of Hiroshima, there have been accidents in which boats carrying spectators for the fireworks ran over oyster cultivation rafts, according to the headquarters.
During a fireworks event July 19, some 80 boats and ferries gathered around the fireworks barge in Kure Port in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. Four ships were deployed on patrol.
In the port, where transportation ferries on regular service were operating, one such vessel almost crashed into a small boat that was on the ferry＊s route, touching off an alarm that sounded for some 20 seconds.
Of the ship accidents related to fireworks festivals that happened between 2005 and 2024, 92 occurred within the jurisdiction of the 6th regional headquarters, the biggest number by region. The figure far surpassed 68 cases recorded in the jurisdiction of the 3rd headquarters based in Yokohama, and 42 in that of the 5th headquarters based in Kobe.
Some 80% of the accidents in the 6th headquarters＊ area involved ships on the way back from firework festivals.
The Seto Inland Sea has many islands and shallows, as well as rafts to cultivate oyster, a specialty of the prefecture.
The prefecture has the biggest number of registered pleasure boats. Many boaters have little experience in operating ships at night even though they are used to daytime sailing, according to the coast guard.
In 2017, a ship crashed into a breakwater after a firework festival in Onomichi, Hiroshima, causing 10 people aboard to sustain minor injuries. The captain was aware that the breakwater existed but was inexperienced in operating a ship at night.
The firework festivals in the prefecture include a large-scale event that attracts more than 350 boats.
※We want people to keep a close watch to enjoy fireworks safely,§ said a 6th headquarters official. ※If you are uneasy about nighttime ship operations, you should avoid watching fireworks from boats.§
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