A fire started in the engine room of the Japanese fishing boat Tenryu Maru early on 20 October 2026. All 17 crew were rescued. The boat was in the North Pacific, about 600 km east-southeast of Cape Erimo in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Nobody was hurt, the Japan Coast Guard said.
Two days earlier, two Filipino crew members fell into the sea from a Taiwanese fishing boat, WIN FAR SHENG No.3. This happened about 830 km east of Cape Nosappu, also in Hokkaido. One of the men died. The other man is still missing.
Fire in the engine room
The fire started at about 01:05 Japan time on 20 October. The boat's owner in Kochi Prefecture called 118, the Japan Coast Guard's emergency number. The owner said the crew were trying to put out the fire. But the water they used could stop the engine, the owner said.
Tenryu Maru is a 111-tonne boat. It catches skipjack tuna (bonito) with poles and lines. On board were 17 crew: 9 from Japan and 8 from other countries. Their nationalities were not made public.
The crew left the burning boat in liferafts. At about 05:30 another fishing boat, Dai-151 Myojin Maru, picked up all 17. It was sailing nearby. None of the crew were injured. The boat is taking them to the port of Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture.
The Coast Guard sent the patrol ship Erimo from Kushiro and a plane from its Chitose air base. It also asked for its Special Rescue Team. A Coast Guard photo from the air at about 05:00 showed the boat burning strongly, with black smoke. The Hokkaido broadcaster HBC said the boat burned out. The Coast Guard is looking into the cause of the fire.
Filipino crew member missing
The second case happened late on 18 October. WIN FAR SHENG No.3 is a Taiwan-flagged boat. It was fishing for Pacific saury, a small fish. Just before midnight Japan time, Taiwan's rescue coordination centre asked the Japan Coast Guard for help.
Two Filipino crew members, one in his 30s and one in his 40s, had fallen into the sea while working. The crew pulled the older man out of the water, but he was confirmed dead. The younger man has not been found.
The Coast Guard sent planes and patrol ships to search for him. On 20 October, HBC said he was still missing and that the patrol ship Erimo was going to the area. The names of the two men have not been made public.
What crews can take from it
All 17 crew of Tenryu Maru got into liferafts and were picked up safely. Know your liferaft station and how to launch it. Practise it in drills, also at night.
The owner said the water used on the fire could stop the engine. Before a fire happens, agree when the crew stops fighting it and leaves the boat. Then no time is lost.
A boat working nearby picked up the crew. If you hear a distress call, report your position and be ready to help.
Falling into the sea while working on deck is a big danger on fishing boats. Wear a lifejacket on deck, most of all at night and in bad weather.
If someone falls into the sea, shout "man overboard" and throw a lifebuoy. Keep pointing at the person and tell the bridge at once.
Cover photo: The Japan Coast Guard patrol ship Erimo (PL-02) of the Kushiro Coast Guard Office. It was sent to the burning boat. Date of photo unknown. Photo: Japan Coast Guard, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: STV News: Skipjack pole-and-line fishing boat on fire about 600 km off Cape Erimo, all 17 crew rescued (20 Oct 2026, in Japanese), FNN Prime Online / UHB: Fire on skipjack fishing boat 600 km off Cape Erimo, 17 crew rescued by companion boat (20 Oct 2026, in Japanese), Nishinippon Shimbun: Skipjack fishing boat on fire, all crew rescued (20 Oct 2026, in Japanese), HBC Hokkaido Broadcasting via Infoseek News: Ship accidents off Hokkaido (20 Oct 2026, in Japanese), STV News: Two Filipino crew fall from fishing boat off Cape Nosappu, one dead, one missing (19 Oct 2026, updated 20 Oct, in Japanese), NHK News: Two fall from Taiwanese fishing boat off Cape Nosappu (19 Oct 2026, in Japanese).
