Article Posted on : - Dec 04, 2009

JDS Sawagiri of Japan's Maritime Self Defence Force. Image credit: Wikipedia

TOKYO (BNS): Two destroyers of Japan’s Maritime Self Defence Force (MSDF) collided in the Pacific Ocean during an anti-piracy operation Friday morning, official Kyodo news agency reported.

The accident occurred at 0845 am Japan time. None of the 390 crew members on board the Onami and Sawagiri ships were injured, it said.

The two warships had left their respective bases on Thursday to take part in the exercise in the Pacific off Kochi Prefecture. They will now return to their home bases following the collision, the report said.

The anti-piracy operation has been halted after the accident, it said, adding investigators would look into the cause of the collision.