On June 17, 2017, the NYK containership collided with the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald off the coast of Shimoda in Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. On June 19th, US Navy confirmed that all seven missing sailors from the USS Fitzgerald were found dead in flooded berthing compartments.
“Our deep thoughts and concerns go out to all injured and missing on the USS Fitzgerald. NYK and the shipowner are fully cooperating with an investigation being conducted by the Japan Coast Guard”, NYK said in a statement.
However, UN Navy confirmed that the seven missing sailors on the US warship were all found dead.
The accident is under investigation; the cause of the collision is not known yet.
It has been reported that many of the crew were asleep at the time of the collision which resulted in the flooding of two crew compartments, the radio room and the auxiliary machine room.
“We are all deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our fellow shipmates as a result of Friday’s collision between USS Fitzgerald and a commercial container ship, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families”, Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley said in a statement.
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