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US destroyer collides with vessel off Japan

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7 SAILORS MISSING: Search under way for missing sailors after collision with Philippine container ship; three medically evacuated, including ship’s commander -


YOKOSUKA, Japan: US Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald sailed back to its base in Yokosuka, with seven of its sailors still missing after it collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship more than three times its size in eastern Japan early on Saturday.


The Fitzgerald, an Aegis guided missile destroyer, collided with the merchant vessel at about 2:30 am local time (1730 GMT), some 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka, the Navy said.


Three aboard the destroyer had been medically evacuated to the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, including the ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr Bryce Benson, who was reported to be in stable condition, the Navy said. The other two were being treated for lacerations and bruises, while other injured were being assessed aboard the ship, it said.


Search and rescue efforts by US and Japanese aircraft and surface vessels were continuing for the seven missing sailors, the Navy said. Their names are being withheld until the families have been notified, it said.


Benson took command of the Fitzgerald on May 13. He had previously commanded a minesweeper based in Sasebo in western Japan.


It was unclear how the collision happened. “Once an investigation is complete then any legal issues can be addressed,” the 7th Fleet spokesman said.


The Fitzgerald suffered damage on her starboard side above and below the waterline, causing “significant damage” and flooding to two berthing spaces and other areas of the ship, the Navy said. The flooding was later stabilised, but it was uncertain how long it would take to gain access to those spaces once the ship is docked, to continue the search for the missing, it said. Back in Yokosuka, divers will inspect the damage and develop a plan for repairs, the Navy said.


The ship was able to operate under its own power with limited propulsion, the Navy said. The Japanese Coast Guard said separately the Fitzgerald was towed back to Yokosuka by a tugboat at about 3 knots.


Part of an eight-ship squadron based in Yokosuka, the Fitzgerald had in February completed $21 million worth of upgrades and repairs.


Japan’s Nippon Yusen KK, which charters the container ship, ASX Crystal, said in a statement it would “cooperate fully” with the Coast Guard’s investigation of the incident. At around 29,000 tonnes displacement, the ship dwarfs the 8,315-tonne US warship, and was carrying 1,080 containers from the port of Nagoya to Tokyo.


None of the 20 crew members aboard the container ship, all Filipino, were injured, and the ship was not leaking oil, Nippon Yusen said. The ship arrived at Tokyo Bay around 5:00 pm (0800 GMT), sailing under its own power, the Coast Guard said.


The waterways approaching Tokyo Bay are busy with commercial vessels sailing to and from Japan’s two biggest container ports in Tokyo and Yokohama.


International maritime rules for collision avoidance do not define right of way for any one vessel, but provide common standards for signaling between ships, as well as regulations on posting lookouts. — Reuters


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