A U.S. Navy ship has been slightly damaged after a collision on Saturday with a Japanese tug that deviated from its course during a military exercise off Japan, according to the US Navy, which is the ninth such incident in Asia.
The USS Benfold was involved in a tug-of-war in the Gulf of Shanghai when the Japanese tug had no advance and collided with it, according to the 7th US Fleet. The incident came as Japanese and US forces took part in a ten-day joint naval exercise until November 26, as part of a show of strength in North Korea, whose nuclear ambitions dominated talks during US President Donald Trump's recent trip to the United States.
"No one was injured on either of the two ships and Benfold suffered only minor damage, such as scratches on the side, in anticipation of a full assessment of the damage," the 7th Fleet said on Saturday night. "The Japanese merchant navy ship was towed by another ship in the port of Yokosuka," southwest of Tokyo, he added.
The Japanese Coast Guard said the tug began to deviate when a rope was caught on its propeller, confirming that no one was injured. Shipwrecks of the 7th Fleet in Asia occurred repeatedly in 2017, and some were fatal.