Interview with Akira Furukawa
Do we know what caused the accident?
Furukawa (honorific omitted)
The cause of the accident was also made public in a subsequent accident investigation report: after the tank was installed, the foundation for the attached vertical staircase had not been adequately constructed, and uneven settling caused the staircase to collapse.
The collapsed staircase damaged the oil containment dike, resulting in an accident in which a large amount of heavy oil spilled.
What were you doing when the accident happened?
Furukawa
I joined the company as a new employee in April 1974, and was assigned to the Tohoku Oil Sendai Refinery in October of that same year.
I only learned of the accident the day after it happened, and had little detailed information, so I never imagined that the damage would extend as far as the eastern half of the Seto Inland Sea.
After the new year began in 1975, about two or three days after work resumed, my supervisor suddenly called me in, handed me a plane ticket to Takamatsu, and instructed me to help with the work on site. I flew to Shikoku and joined the Takamatsu headquarters.
What kind of response did you undertake after flying to Takamatsu?
Furukawa
I was assigned to a small team of five people in charge of the Sakaide area. It consisted of a manager who served as team leader, two specialists from the head office logistics department, a sales staff member who was three years ahead of me at university, and me.
Our main tasks were to provide logistical support to those engaged in oil recovery and coastal cleanup, mainly around Banno-no-su, Ogoshi, Shami, and Utazu near Sakaide, and to negotiate with related organizations, including fishing industry groups.
My main duties were responding to calls coming in from various quarters and procuring and delivering oil recovery equipment and supplies, such as absorbent mats, scrub brushes, and ladles.
At the same time, I also helped arrange and coordinate the collection of oil-soaked absorbent mats and drums recovered by local fishing industry workers and residents.
It must have had a major impact on the lives of people involved in the fishing cooperatives, too.
Furukawa
The accident directly affected the livelihoods of people in the fishing industry, who were also recovering oil and cleaning the coast from morning until night. I imagine the pain they felt was enough to freeze their hearts.
Once, when I went to deliver equipment and supplies to people in the fishing industry in one area, they suddenly brought out oil-covered seafood and told me to eat it. I instinctively picked up one of the shellfish, put it in my mouth, and deeply apologized in front of everyone.
Thinking of the position of those in the fishing cooperatives affected by the accident, all I could do was apologize. Days of feeling so ashamed continued for about a month.
You said “about a month.” Did you notice any changes during that time?
Furukawa
For a while after I was assigned, I went back and forth between Takamatsu and Sakaide every day. After some time, I began to see smiles on the faces of people in the fishing industry, and they started greeting me warmly whenever I visited.
A friend who joined the company at the same time once told me, “A woman who lived locally once brought us tea on a tray during the Bon holiday. I have never tasted tea as delicious as that tea in my entire life. She had watched our tireless recovery work closely, and it gave us the courage to keep going the next day.”
(We also spoke with Mr. Hayashi, who joined the conversation partway through.)
Was there a reason you deliberately included “anniversary lecture” in the title of this lecture?
Hayashi (honorific omitted)
Many people, including those involved in fishing cooperatives, suffered losses in the Mitsubishi Oil Mizushima Refinery oil spill, so we considered whether it was appropriate to call this an anniversary lecture.
On the other hand, more and more people do not even know about the Mitsubishi Oil Mizushima Refinery oil spill. In addition, fewer people have experienced scooping up heavy oil with a ladle and cleaning it up. We felt it was important to tell people about this tragic accident and keep its memory from fading.
For that reason, marking 50 years since the Mitsubishi Oil Mizushima Refinery oil spill, we made this an anniversary lecture not only to recall painful memories, but also as a beginning for continuing to pass on its story.
The lecture title included the phrase “A coincidence that seems almost inevitable.” It has also been 50 years since the Mitsubishi Oil Mizushima Refinery oil spill.
Furukawa
Until now, I thought my experience responding to four major oil spills was a series of “coincidences,” but on reconsidering it, I feel that perhaps it was, after all, “inevitable.”
I believe it is important not to let our experiences fade, and to record and pass them on so that we can learn from the lessons of the past.
Also, until now, there was a tendency among my colleagues at work not to want to talk about their experiences of the accident, as many of them were painful memories. I was glad that, when asked, three people agreed to speak at this lecture.
Fifty years have passed since the accident, and more and more people do not even know about it. I hope to continue sharing our experiences so that this tragic accident is never forgotten.
From the Writer
This lecture prompted me to do some research, and I learned the following:
- The damage caused by the spilled oil amounted to 1.5 billion yen.
- The enormous total damages amounted to approximately 50 billion yen, including losses to coastal fishermen, the cost of recovering the spilled oil, and the long-term suspension of operations.
- Following discussions between Mitsubishi Oil and the two companies involved in the foundation work for the vertical staircase, the allocation of losses and responsibility for repairing the tank were agreed upon and carried out.
I learned that the accident was not simply the sole responsibility of Mitsubishi Oil; a chain of unfortunate events also contributed, ultimately leading to enormous damage.
We must never allow such a tragic accident to happen again. And should an accident occur, we must draw on the knowledge gained so far to minimize the damage as much as possible. That is why I believe holding this lecture 50 years later is meaningful.
You can also read about Mr. Furukawa’s experiences, which seem almost too inevitable to be mere coincidence, in the November 2024 issue, No. 217, of the Japan Association for Safety of Hazardous Materials Engineering’s journal, “Safety & Tomorrow.”
Please take a look.
50th Anniversary Lecture on the Mitsubishi Oil Mizushima Refinery Oil Spill Information
| Name | 50th Anniversary Lecture on the Mitsubishi Oil Mizushima Refinery Oil Spill |
|---|---|
| Date | December 20, 2024, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. |
| Location | 1-50 Mizushima Higashichidoricho, Kurashiki City, West Building, 4th Floor |
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