Winter on the Black Sea: The Nahodka Heavy Fuel Oil Spill, January 1997–Spring 1997

On January 2, 1997, the Russian-flagged tanker Nakhodka, carrying approximately 19,000 kiloliters of C-grade heavy fuel oil, was sailing in the Sea of Japan when its hull ruptured in rough seas off the Oki Islands. The stern sank, while the bow drifted, spilling heavy fuel oil, and eventually washed ashore off Mikuni Town, Fukui Prefecture, on January 7. According to the Japan Coast Guard, the estimated volume of oil spilled was approximately 6,240 kiloliters, and the oil spread along the Sea of Japan coastline from Shimane Prefecture to Akita Prefecture. The *Environmental Business Report* at the time covered this incident not merely as a maritime accident, but as an event that highlighted the weaknesses in Japan’s oil spill response measures. There was a lack of equipment and specialized personnel capable of recovering large quantities of high-viscosity heavy fuel oil spilled in the open ocean, forcing local governments, fishermen, residents, and volunteers to conduct manual recovery operations along the coast. The report identified the preparation of equipment and materials, the establishment of specialized response organizations, and the allocation of responsibilities among relevant agencies as key challenges. Following the accident, the government established the Nahodka Shipwreck and Oil Spill Disaster Response Headquarters, and the Japan Coast Guard, the Self-Defense Forces, and local governments carried out cleanup operations. Since then, efforts have been made to procure large-scale oil recovery equipment and machinery capable of handling high-viscosity oil, and the Japan Coast Guard now maintains a Mobile Oil Spill Response Unit that can be deployed nationwide. The Nahodka incident served as a major catalyst for a practical reevaluation of Japan’s marine oil spill countermeasures.