US Navy ship collision probe nearly finished

Japanese authorities said yesterday that they were almost finished with their investigation into last month’s collision between a Philippine freighter and a U.S. naval destroyer that left seven Navy sailors dead, but still haven’t been given access to data from the U.S. side.

The container ship, the ACX Crystal, and most of its crew were allowed to leave Japan for Thailand on Sunday after repairs were finished. Coast guard officials declined to give details.

A spokesman for the company that owns the freighter, Yoshinori Fukushima, said yesterday that the captain and some crew members had stayed behind voluntarily for additional questioning.

The crash occurred on June 17 south of Tokyo off the Izu peninsula in an accident-prone area known for congestion with ships trying to reach Tokyo by daybreak. That is within Japanese territorial waters, but the U.S. military holds the right to investigate its naval vessel and has not cooperated with Japan’s investigation, which is allowed under the bilateral status of forces agreement, officials said.

Japanese coast guard officials said that they were still discussing possible cooperation with the U.S. side, but that nothing concrete has been decided and they could not say when a conclusion was expected.

U.S. and Japanese officials haven’t said whether crew members from the USS Fitzgerald were thought to be responsible for the crash. MDT/AP