Kanto bureau suspends three Tokai Kisen ships for 20 days

The Kanto District Transport Bureau said on Friday 2 October 2026 that it has ordered Tokai Kisen to stop using named ships on three general passenger routes for 20 days, from 9 October to 28 October 2026.

On the Tokyo–Hachijojima route (Kanto No. 110) the order covers Tachibana-Maru (橘丸), ship number 142125. On the Tokyo–Oshima–Kozushima route (Kanto No. 125) it covers Tachibana-Maru, ship number 142125, Seven Islands Yui (セブンアイランド結), ship number 143663, and Seven Islands Tomo (セブンアイランド友), ship number 131269. On the Atami–Oshima route (Kanto No. 142) it covers Seven Islands Yui, ship number 143663, and Seven Islands Tomo, ship number 131269.

Inspections of the company and its ships from January 2026 found that Tokai Kisen had not complied with the safety management regulations it had set under the Maritime Transport Act, and had breached that Act in other ways. The bureau issued the order under Article 17 of the Act. It assigned cumulative violation points of 92 on Tokyo–Hachijojima, 96 on Tokyo–Oshima–Kozushima and 38 on Atami–Oshima, and said each of those totals is made up of points relating to transport safety. Under the ministry standard, a business suspension is to be considered when the cumulative points reach 16 or more. The bureau said the company had submitted an improvement plan whose effectiveness was recognised, and that suspending the business could seriously disrupt daily transport for local residents, so it ordered a suspension of some ships instead.

The notice records two sailings with a shell door left unclosed: Tokyo–Oshima on 7 November 2025, and Shikinejima–Kozushima on 24 December 2025. It says that departing in that condition had become routine on the large passenger ships. It says the president knew of a New Year’s Day drinking custom on the large ship and did not take appropriate measures. On 1 January 2026, crew including the masters of Salvia Maru (さるびあ丸) and Tachibana-Maru drank together during a passenger voyage and went on navigational watch soon afterwards, without an alcohol check. The notice says a Widmark calculation put the alcohol in one litre of breath substantially above 0.15 mg for several of those crew, including the masters. It also says that on 25 April 2026 another person sat an alcohol test in place of the person due to be tested on Seven Islands Yui, and that the written record did not match what had happened.