The watch that failed
(From The Japan Times July 1 issue)

監視不徹底が招いたあたご衝突事故

The Japan Coast Guard has turned over to prosecutors a case against two former watch officers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis destroyer Atago over its collision with a fishing boat, which claimed the lives of two fishermen. The MSDF must take this tragedy seriously, raise its members' consciousness about safety in navigation and strengthen their education.

The collision occurred around 4:06 a.m. on Feb. 19, about 40 km south of Cape Nojima, Chiba Prefecture. The 7,750-ton Atago was sailing on autopilot when it hit the 7.3-ton Seitoku Maru. Watch crews had changed at 3:55 a.m.

According to the sequence of events reconstructed by the coast guard, the first watch officer noticed a group of fishing boats, including the Seitoku Maru, ahead of the destroyer and to the right around 3:40 a.m. Although the destroyer should have maneuvered to avoid a collision, the first watch officer thought there was no danger. Under the Prevention of Collision at Sea Law, when two ships appear on a collision course, a ship that sees the other to the right must maneuver to avoid a collision.

When the first watch officer handed over the watch duty to the second watch officer, he did not alert him about the possible collision danger. The second watch officer saw the group of fishing boats, but he let the destroyer continue sailing on autopilot. It is also known that a watchman who should have been on a bridge wing was inside the bridge.

The Coast Guard Academy has decided that the Atago neither carried out its collision-avoidance maneuver nor reduced its speed in time. The Seitoku Maru turned to starboard just before the collision. The destroyer rammed the fishing boat on the port side from behind at an angle of 40 to 50 degrees and a speed of about 10 knots, almost the same as the autopilot speed.

At the time of the collision, 11 people were inside the bridge and seven others were in the combat information center. This demonstrates the lack of safety consciousness on the part of crew members. The MSDF must strive to rid slackness toward safety from each of its ship's crews.

海上保安庁は2名の死者を出した海上自衛隊のイージス艦「あたご」と漁船「清徳丸」の衝突事故を海難審判理事所に書類送検した。海上自衛隊は事故を重く受け止めて、航海の安全に対する隊員の認識を高め、教育に励むべきだ。

2月19日午前４時、千葉県野島崎の南約40kmで自動操舵していた7750トンのあたごが7.3トンの清徳丸と衝突。見張りは3時55分に交代した。

海上保安庁によると、見張りは3時40分ごろ漁船を確認したが、危険を察知しなかった。次の見張りも漁船を確認したが自動操舵を続け、艦橋張り出し部にいるべき見張りは艦橋内にいた。

事故当時、隊員11名が艦橋内、7名は戦闘情報センターにいた。海上自衛隊は各隊員の安全認識を高める必要がある。