US destroyer collides with PH-flagged vessel
YOKOSUKA, Japan: Seven US sailors were missing and a skipper injured after their Navy destroyer collided with a Philippine Japan early Saturday, with the badly dam
Aerial television footage showed one sailor lying on a stretcher and a rescuer being pulled up to a helicopter that was hovering above the USS Fitzgerald, its
Three sailors were injured in the predawn collision, including the guided
“Two sailors, in addition to the commanding officer, have been medically evacuated from USSFitzgerald to US Naval Hospital Yokosuka for lacerations
“There are seven sailors unaccounted for; the ship and the Japanese Coast Guard continues to
The accident between the Fitzgerald ACXCrystal happened around the coast off the Izu peninsula southwest of Tokyo, the US Navy
Video footage showed relatively light damage to the ACXCrystal, a commercial container ship that, according to marine tracking
but is listed as owned by Japanese
PH ready to assist
The Philippine government on Saturday said it was ready to assist Filipino seafarers aboard the ACX Crystal vessel that collided with the US Navy destroyer, although the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) later said no Filipino was
ACXCrystal
Twenty crew members were aboard the container and none was injured, a Japanese coast guard spokesman confirmed, adding that the vessel was sailing back to
President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Philippine embassy in Tokyo was coordinating with relevant authorities, including the govern
“The Philippine embassy in Tokyo is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with Japanese
“The embassy said that they are ready to extend all necessary assistance to Filipino seamen onboard
Busy shipping channel
The area of collision is a busy shipping channel near major container
“The volume of ships is heavy in this area and there have been
It was not immediately clear what caused the collision, but made a sharp turn around the time
Japan’s coast guard, which is vessels, two planes and a team of specially trained rescue personnel to help in the search for the miss
The USSDewey and two Navy tugboats were helping out in the search and rescue, the US military said, while Japan’s SelfDefense Forces also joined the operation, sending three ships
‘So worried’
was deployed in the Iraq war in
- tical miles (104 kilometers) south
Fitzgerald
US chief of naval operations Admiral John Richardson said in a statement: “As more information is learned we will be sure to share it with the Fitzgerald families and
“All of our thoughts and concerns are with the Fitzgerald crew
Video by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK showed heavy damage to the right side of the Fitzgerald just ahead of the control tower, and that
An orange hose was visible on the ship’s deck, with many crew members seen checking
Vessel won’t sink
The destroyer, piloted by two
“The USS Fitzgerald suffered damage on her starboard side The collision resulted in some
The Fitzgerald was still under its own power “although her propulsion not in danger of sinking and is headed
The Japanese coast guard said: “We are now investigating the case as further details, including the weather conditions at the time, are