Three crew members of the maritime self-defense submarine Soryu sustained minor injuries, and photos of the Japanese Coast Guard showed damage to its right-hand waterplanes, the wing-like structures in its tower.
The Soryu, introduced in 2009, is the first in its class of Japanese diesel-powered submarines. It moves about 3000 tons and has a crew of about 65.
The Ministry of Defense said that communication equipment on the sub was also damaged, although it is still able to work.
“Soryu scraped the hull of the vessel as it appeared. It is very unfortunate that the MSDF submarine collided with a commercial ship,” said Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.
The Ministry of Defense said the accident took place on the main island of Shikoku in southern Japan.
The commercial ship suffered no damage, Coast Guard officials added. Japanese media reported that the ship was possibly the Ocean Artemis, a bulk carrier flagged in Hong Kong.
Bradley Martin, an analyst at RAND Corp and former captain of the U.S. Navy who analyzed images of the damage, said the impact would have limited the capability of the submarine.
I would not call the damage ‘minor’. The submarine can not dive and can not communicate, ‘Martin told CNN in an email.