Dock from Japanese tsunami washes up on Oregon beach
Visitors to Agate Beach in Newport, Oregon, puzzle in wonderment at the dock in their midst. — Reuters supplied picPORTLAND, Oregon, June 7 — A huge dock unmoored during last year’s Japanese tsunami washed up on an Oregon beach this week and authorities are debating how to remove it.
“This is the first object that has washed up that was unique enough to confirm that it was, indeed, from the tsunami,” Chris Havel, spokesman for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, said yesterday.
The metal placard bearing Japanese writing detailing manufacturer and fabrication date, among other information. The writing reads “Misawa region wide-area fishery harbour improvement work. June 2008, Nishimura Sangyo Co., Type of Structure: PC Segment, Constructor: Zeniya Kaiyo Service Co.” — Reuters supplied picThe Japanese consulate confirmed yesterday that the dock is from the tsunami. “It is from some area on the northeast coast of Japan,” Havel said.
Oregon is working with other West Coast states, the federal government, non-profit organisations and others to coordinate cleaning up the debris. Japan has estimated that as much as 1.5 million tonnes of debris could still be afloat.
The 20-metre-long dock is made mostly of concrete and metal, with a small metal plaque with Japanese writing attached.
It washed up early on Tuesday morning on scenic Agate Beach, just north of Newport, Oregon, about 180km) southwest of Portland.
Oregon is moving ahead with removal, although there are questions about who should pay for it.
“We will bear the cost right now,” Havel said. “But in an unusual event like this, is there some other way to cover it? We don’t really know at this point.”
Authorities are considering the best way to remove the dock from the beach, Havel said, and are considering dismantling it on the beach or pulling it back out to sea.
The dock tested negative for radiation, which was a concern because of the major radiation release at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following March 2011’s 9.0 magnitude earthquake.
That temblor caused a tsunami that killed nearly 16,000 people and left over 3,000 missing on Japan’s main island of Honshu.
The catastrophe swept an estimated five million tonnes of debris out to sea, but most of it sank.
Everything from football balls and buoys to building materials has floated across the Pacific and washed up on shores across the US West Coast.
Authorities are concerned about removing the debris, the possibility of animals ingesting junk, toxins and the spread of invasive species.
The Parks Department is working with Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife to contain any invasive species threats, Havel said. — Reuters
