Boat Washed Ashore In Washington Might Be From 2011 Tsunami in Japan

April 30, 2014— -- An old boat that washed ashore in Washington State may be a blast from the past -- a ship that was swept away from Japan during the devastating 2011 tsunami, officials said.

“There’s a very large amount of vegetation growth so it’s been in the water quite a long time, and that’s what we’ve seen in the past with things that have washed up [from overseas],” Charles Wallace of Grays Harbor County Emergency Management told ABCNews.com.

An officer from the Ocean Shores Police Department found the boat on Monday, covered in slimy, eel-like vegetation and shells. He noticed Asian lettering or symbols printed on the boat, which is why he thought it might be from Japan, Wallace said.

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The Department of Ecology collected samples of the vegetation and will have results in about a week.

"They’ll be able to determine if the vegetation is from our area or somewhere else,” Wallace said.

It wouldn’t be the first tsunami wreckage to wash up on the Pacific Ocean’s shores – several Japanese vessels and belongings have surfaced on the West Coast and in Canada since 2011.