Safety of ships’ evacuation from tsunami: survey unit of the Great East Japan earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred at 14:46 h on Friday, 11 March 2011. It was the most powerful known earthquake to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes overall in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 40.5 m in Miyako, Iwate. More than 20,000 people have been dead or missing. The International Research Center for Marine Policy is a think tank of Japan Coast Guard and belongs to the Japan Coast Guard Academy. Our research unit was organized to conduct survey and research on the Great East Japan Earthquake, in particular its effect on the ocean. This unit collects information and analyzes and synthesizes the collected information from a professional viewpoint. Then, the unit studies about damage by tsunami, damage of ships, urgent evacuate and search rescue to pick new actual explication and various lessons out.