At approximately 7:35 a.m. today (July 31), a patrol boat operated by Cosmo Oil, Ltd. discovered an oil slick on the surface of the water in the vicinity of its Chiba Oil Refinery, and notified the Chiba Prefecture General Affairs Department Fire, Earthquake and Disaster Prevention Division, the Japan Coast Guard(Chiba), the Ichihara Fire Department Civil Defense and Emergencies Division and the Ichihara Environmental Department Environmental Management Division. While an oil boom was extended, some oil flowed into the sea. The volume of oil that leaked is currently unknown.

When divers reached the seabed they discovered that part of the underwater portion of a crude oil pipe, which floated to the surface last month and is currently out of service, had developed a crack and was leaking oil.

Normally the Cosmo Oil Chiba Refinery docks very-large crude carriers (VLCC) at the offshore Keiyo Sea Berth and receives crude oil through an underwater pipe laid on the sea floor. However, it was found during an inspection of the pipe on June 19 that a section of the pipe (approximately 30 meters) had risen to the surface. Work to recover the pipe had been underway.

As part of the recovery work, oil inside the pipes was replaced with water. The oil involved in this leakage is thought to be oil that had remained in the pipe.
In addition to taking immediate measures to stem the leak, on-site oil recovery efforts are also now underway.

Cosmo Oil offers its deepest apologies for the concern and trouble it has caused to its local stakeholders