A small Japanese oil tanker collided with a South Korean freighter in Japan's Inland Sea on Tuesday, causing an oil leak but no serious injuries, AP quoted Coast Guard as saying. Three crew from the tanker, the 153-ton Shoseimaru, were rescued by patrol boats after the collision punched a hole in the vessel, causing it to leak oil and take in water, according to Coast Guard official Hideki Nakazato. It wasn't clear whether the three were hurt in the accident, but initial reports indicated they had no serious injuries, Nakazato said. The 15 crew aboard the South Korean 4,690-ton Trust Busan appeared unhurt, and the vessel wasn't seriously damaged, he said. Authorities were readying an oil fence to contain the leak. The collision took place in waters between Japan's largest island of Honshu and smaller Shikoku island Tuesday afternoon. The Trust Busan was heading from Aioi to Fukuyama, both facing the Inland Sea. Authorities didn't know where the Shoseimaru was headed.
