JMSDF anti-air training vessel sustains minor damages in tidal current accident

A file photo of Kurobe. The vessel has been slightly damaged after an accident on 22 March 2022. (Hachiro Nakai)

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's (JMSDF's) sole Kurobe-class anti-air training vessel has been slightly damaged after it struck a navigation marker while navigating in waters off Shimonoseki.

Janes has been informed by a source close to the matter that the vessel was navigating through a stretch of the Shimonoseki Strait, known as the Kanmon Passage, on 22 March when it encountered an unexpected tidal current at about 0630 h local time.

The current caused the vessel to veer off its intended course, causing the ship to strike a navigational marker known as Buoy 35 in the Kanmon Passage. Kurobe was subsequently moored in a quarantine anchorage off Hesaki where it underwent damage inspections, said the source.

In response to questions from Janes , the Japanese defence ministry described the damage sustained by Kurobe as “abrasions on the outer shell”. There were no injuries sustained in the accident and the vessel's operations are in good order, said the ministry in its reply on 29 March.

In addition, the source that originally informed Janes of the accident has confirmed that there have been no pollution-related incidences reported in the wake of the mishap.

Kurobe is a 101 m training vessel that was commissioned by the JMSDF in 1989. The ship is deployed primarily to train cadets in anti-air warfare operations and evaluate the efficacy of the JMSDF's various anti-aircraft missile systems.