MV Chikuzen
Refrigerated Cargo Ship · Japan · Lost 1981 · The Lesser Antilles
A Japanese fish-factory ship that drifted derelict and sank off Tortola around 1981, now a well-known BVI dive site.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Chikuzen was a Japanese-built refrigerated cargo vessel used in fish processing operations. Accounts of her final voyage vary, but she was abandoned and left drifting before sinking off the north coast of Tortola around 1981. The wreck settled upright and largely intact, and has since become a popular dive site in the British Virgin Islands.
Vessel
- Not established
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- Steel
- 246 ft
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- Diesel, single screw
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Loss
- January 1, 1981
- Not established
- North coast of Tortola, British Virgin Islands
- Caribbean Sea
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The Wreck Today
- 45-75
- Largely intact, upright on a sandy bottom
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Position
- 18.47° N 64.65° W
- Approximate position
- Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Position rounded to the general dive site north of Tortola.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
The exact date, cause of loss, and circumstances of her abandonment are not established in the sources reviewed.
BVI dive tourism historical accounts
General loss narrative and wreck location.
