A mega-tsunami (run up height : 6 m), caused by a major earthquake (Mw = 9, the great Tohoku earthquake), striked at 2:48 pm an integrated steel complex (thermal power plant, blast furnaces and steelworks) located in an industrial port. Right after the end of the fisrt foreshocks, at around 2:50 pm, all of the 120 units of the site were shut down and 3000 employees and subcontractor evacuated with their emergency rations to the hill at the back of the complex. At around 3 pm, a fire started in the upper part of the coke gas holder due to seismic damage. At 5:30 pm , the recognition of the victims ended with no casualties recorded. The base of the coke oven, gas / steam and water pipes, blast furnace conveyors and rolling mills were damaged by the earthquake. The tsunami flooded the lower part of the complex, sweept away part of the storage of biomass (wood and coal) and damaged several docks and harbor cranes. Ships that were unloading coal or loading steel products were torn from their moorings and drifted away in the port, one of them eventually ran aground at the entrance of the access channel.

The fire of the gas holder was under control in the next 12 hours and external assistance (300 employees and 2500 subcontractors) arrived in the evening to begin repairs. The activity gradually restarted after four days and the steel complex was in full production after 1.5 months . The amount of damage is estimated at 600 million of euros (2011).