Japanese "ghost ship" appears off Canadian coast

March 27, 2012

A Japanese fishing boat was spotted off the western coast of Canada recently, but the Goonies won't be raiding it for treasure anytime soon. Reuters reports the empty boat is likely the first wave of wreckage floating across the sea following the tsunamis that struck Japan last March.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had previously speculated the estimated 1.5 million tons of debris set loose by the storm would not make it across the Pacific until 2013.

"The early indication is that things sitting higher up on the water could potentially move across the Pacific Ocean quicker than we had originally thought," Nancy Wallace, director of NOAA's Marine Debris Program, told Reuters. "Those higher-wind, quicker moving items may actually be onshore much sooner - pretty much now.

The ship has been called an "obstruction to navigation" for shipping vessels by the Canadian Department of National Defense, according to The New York Times. No announcements have been made as to how the problem will be handled. People who want to find out if their friends have spotted any tsunami debris around British Columbia can make calls to Canada with international phone cards to get the latest updates.

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