Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel stand on a U.S. military barge carrying pure water (bottom) near the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant on April 4. Foreign ships are avoiding the northern parts of the country due to radiaction leaks at the plant.
International shipping companies, worried about radioactive contamination of their vessels, are starting to ask for higher rates for calling at Japanese ports, and some are seeking get-out clauses in contracts to deliver petroleum to Japan.
Further disruption of shipping, or increased costs of importing and exporting from Japan, would be another logistical and economic headache for the Japanese government and companies struggling to overcome the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Article from the Wall Street Journal.
Photo by Reuters/Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force