TOKYO, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese high-speed jet ferry carrying more than 100 passengers lost control of its rudder in waters south of Tokyo and is being towed to a nearby island port, local media reported Wednesday.
The Japan Coast Guard received a report around 10 a.m. local time from the 280-ton jetfoil vessel that it had "lost control of steering due to an oil leak," Kyodo News reported.
There have been no reports of injuries among the 116 passengers and five crew members on board of the ship, named Seven Islands Ai, it added.
The jet ferry, operated by Tokai Kisen Company, was heading to Shikine Island, one of the Izu Islands in the Pacific, after leaving Takeshiba Pier in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
The Seven Islands Ai broke down in waters some 17 kilometers southwest of Nojimasaki Lighthouse, a historic landmark on the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture and became unable to navigate by itself, according to the coast guard.
Two coast guard patrol ships that arrived at the site conducted rescue activities and are currently towing the ferry toward Okata Port on Izu Oshima, the report said. ■