This image released by the US Navy on Nov 12, 2017, shows (front to back) the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Takanami-class destroyer JS Makinami, the Murasame-class destroyer JS Inazuma, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble transiting the western Pacific Ocean. (MICHAEL RUSSELL / AFP)
TOKYO — A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyer ran aground in waters off western Japan, local media cited the Japan Coast Guard as saying Tuesday.
According to the reports, the Inazuma destroyer is leaking oil following the vessel apparently hitting some rocks on the seabed.
No one was injured in the incident although a small amount of oil may have leaked into the sea
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The incident was reported to the coast guard at around 12:30 p.m. (local time) by the crew of the destroyer who said they felt a powerful "vibration in the hull."
Japan's public broadcaster NHK said that the Ministry of Defense and the Japan Coast Guard confirmed the destroyer came into contact with rocks on the seabed and was unable to move.
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According to the latest reports, no one was injured in the incident, although a small amount of oil may have leaked into the sea as a result of damage to the vessel.
Around 20 crew members on the deck of the stranded vessel were seen throwing what appeared to be a white sheet into the sea to absorb the oil that had flowed out of the stricken destroyer, NHK said.