A barnacled boat which washed ashore in Washington on Monday may have been set adrift by the 2011 tsunami in Japan
A boat believed to have been set adrift following the 2011 tsunami in Japan has washed up in Washington after travelling 4,000 miles.
The vessel, which washed up on Monday morning, is covered in barnacles and seaweed and was turned over to the US Coast Guard for inspection.
An Asian language was found written on the boat’s nameplate but unfortunately it’s barley legible.
The Department of Ecology later tested the boat for invasive species following concerns about the marine life attached to the boat.
Officials are now working with the Japanese Consulate in Seattle to help identify the boat and its origins.
The 2011 tsunami that hit Japan washed around five millions tonnes of debris into the sea, with 70 per cent of it eventually sinking.
Waves and ocean currents have dispersed the remaining debris across the globe.