JR Kyushu President Yoji Furumiya publicly apologized for the concealment of a significant water leak aboard the high-speed ferry “Queen Beetle,” which operates between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea. Despite being aware of the issue, the ferry continued to operate for over three months. Furumiya announced the formation of an independent committee composed of external experts to investigate the cause of the incident and clarify who is responsible.
The issue came to light in August when it was revealed that JR Kyushu’s subsidiary, JR Kyushu Jet Ferry, had concealed a water leak in the bow of the vessel. The company had modified the placement of water leak sensors to prevent alarms from triggering, and recorded the water leak in a separate logbook rather than the official ship log. Furumiya disclosed that an internal investigation revealed 21 employees were aware of the sensor adjustment, and 16 knew about the alternate logbook.
Furumiya admitted that he first learned of the problem on the morning of August 7, but initially decided to continue operations. However, he acknowledged that this decision may have been a mistake. The ferry has been out of service since August 13. Reflecting on the incident, Furumiya also admitted that measures outlined in a previous improvement report, submitted after receiving government sanctions in June last year, were not fully implemented. He expressed regret for not following through on these measures personally.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) is conducting an audit of JR Kyushu Jet Ferry under legal provisions. Furumiya stated that once the full extent of the issue is understood and the causes are identified, appropriate disciplinary actions will be considered for the involved employees, including himself. Despite the current situation, Furumiya reiterated the company’s intention to eventually resume the operation of the Queen Beetle. Source: NHK
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