Explosion in cargo tank of chemical tanker Eiwa Maru 3 killed one and injured two seamen off Japan. The vessel was making en route from Shimotsu to Yokkaichi in Japan under ballast, passing through Kiisuido Strait and making tank cleaning. At the same time the engineers party was performing wielding works on a cargo deck, which inflamed the chemical gasses and caused explosion into the cargo tank. The blast was strong, causing serious injuries and burns of three crew members. The incident was reported to the local authorities and coast guard dispatched a helicopter to medevac the injured people. One of the, the Chief Engineer of Korean nationality, died in the hospital. The another two Indonesian crew are in stable condition, but with heavy burns.

The chemical tanker Eiwa Maru 3 returned to Wakayama port, where was docked for further inspection and investigation. The other crew did not suffered injuries. The local authorities ordered full inspection of the tanker and started investigation for the root cause of the explosion.

The chemical tanker Eiwa Maru 3 (IMO: 9073323) has overall length of 64.00 m, moulded beam of 10.00 m and maximum draft of 4.00 m. The deadweight of the vessel is 1,116 DWT and the gross tonnage is 740 GRT. The ship was built in 1993 by Honda Heavy Industries in their shipyard in Saiki, Japan. The owner and operator of the chemical tanker Eiwa Maru 3 is South Korean company Keoyoung Shipping.