Japan warns ships to avoid floating houses, debris

Floating debris from last month's tsunami is so enormous it is clogging shipping lanes off Japan, prompting Japan's coast guard to warn ships to give the area an especially wide berth, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

The coast guard, which is posting daily reports on the the debris on the Internet, is warning ships to stay about 45 miles farther from the area of a stricken nuclear plant than is required for safety from radiation.

"Our forces have seen everything from cars to tractor-trailers to entire, intact homes floating in the ocean," say Anthony J. Falvo, a spokesman for the U.S. 7th Fleet, which is helping with recovery efforts, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. "They have never seen anything like it."

Ships are particularly worried that major debris will damage propellers.

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