TOKYO: The Japan Coast Guard launched a survey Tuesday on the damage a Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine suffered from its collision with a commercial ship off Cape Ashizuri of the western prefecture of Kochi on Monday.

The coast guard will investigate the accident suspecting professional negligence endangering traffic on the part of the Soryu submarine.

The commercial vessel is the Ocean Artemis, a Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier, transport minister Kazuyoshi Akaba told a news conference.

Some 40 coast guard officers checked the damage of the Soryu, which is anchored off the port of Kochi, from a patrol vessel. Later they heard from crew members of the Soryu in the submarine.

The Ocean Artemis is now heading for the port of Kobe, western Japan. The coast guard will study the damage to the commercial vessel’s hull by dispatching divers and hear from its crew members later on Tuesday.

The collision occurred when the Soryu raised its periscope, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told a news conference.

The transport ministry’s Japan Transport Safety Board and the Defense Ministry’s Maritime Staff Office will also investigate the accident.

JIJI Press