Japanese destroyer, Chinese fishing boat collide in East China Sea

A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer Shimakaze (DDG-172) and a Chinese fishing boat collided in the high seas of the East China Sea in the evening hours of March 30.

The incident took place about 650 kilometers west of the Japanese island Yakushima, Joint Staff Japan said in a statement.

The crash opened a 1m x 20 mm hole 5m above the waterline of Shimakaze, Taro Kono, Japan’s defense minister said on Twitter.

However, no injuries or casualties have been reported. Both the destroyer and the fishing boat continued to sail under their own power.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the collision.

The destroyer was reportedly on patrol after departing the Port of Sasebo in Japan on March 29.

Commissioned in 1988, JS Shimakaze is the second of two Hatakaze-class guided missile destroyers.

Naval Today Staff