IMO urges maritime operations in Japan to operate normally

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has issued a letter to its members and various organizations advising shipmasters and shipowners to comply with the latest navigational warnings issued by the NAVAREA XI Coordinator (Japan), in the wake of damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.

The letter also states that the latest information indicates maritime operations can and should continue normally into and out of Japan’s sea ports, excluding those damaged by the March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan has confirmed that there is no health risk detected around the ports based on radiation tests by local governments.

More Information at:

NAVAREA warnings are disseminated by the designated NAVAREA coordinators and can also be downloaded by following the relevant links from http://weather.gmdss.org/navareas.html, in particular:

NAVAREA XI Japan http://www1.kaiho.mlit.go.jp/jhd-E.html
NAVAREA XII United States http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal

The full letter can be downloaded at Circular letter 3175