The U.S. Coast Guard is in the process of sinking an abandoned Japanese fishing vessel that drifted into American waters.<br/> <br />The ship is a casualty of last year's earthquake and tsunami and has been drifting in the Pacific since then.<br/> <br />The Coast Guard fired on the vessel with a 25 mm machine gun, setting it on fire, an official said.<br/> <br />Earlier, another vessel had expressed interested in salvaging the Japanese ship, but changed it's mind once they had a closer look at the damage.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) WALTER CADWALLER, BRITISH COLUMBIA FISHING VESSEL OWNER, SAYING:<br/> <br />"Somehow it had ruptured a fuel tank internally and there was fuel and oil from one end of the boat to the other."<br/> <br />The ship is part of the estimated 1.5 million tons of debris dragged out to sea by last year's tsunami.<br/> <br />Officials say most of the debris expected to hit the U.S. coastlines won't arrive until 2013 or later.<br/> <br />Julie Noce, Reuters
