JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Concealed Flooding of ‘Queen Beetle’ and Continued Operations, Revealed by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Audit

JR Kyushu announced that its JR Kyushu Jet Ferry’s ‘Queen Beetle’ had been operating despite concealing flooding.

In February of this year, a small amount of water ingress was discovered and logged, but no abnormalities were recorded in the voyage logbook or maintenance logs. On May 27, an increase in the amount of water ingress was discovered upon return to Hakata Port, and the alarm sensor was moved to a higher position on the following day, May 28, in order to prevent the flooding alarm from sounding. On May 30, the amount of water ingress further increased, triggering the alarm, leading to a report to the Kyushu Transport Bureau and cessation of operations on the same day.

After an ad hoc inspection was completed on July 4, operations resumed on July 11. However, during an audit conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on August 6, a survey of crew members revealed that the flooding had not been reported to the Kyushu Transport Bureau. The following day, July 7, after interviewing the president and directors, the incident was confirmed.

Flooding had also been discovered in February 203 years ago, along with a crack. Even then, operations continued without reporting to the Kyushu Transport Bureau or JR Kyushu, and a ‘Transport Safety Order’ was received from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, with an improvement report being submitted.