ACX Crystal has been owned by Olympic Steamship Co SA, Panama (a subsidiary of Japanese shipowner Sunford Shipping Ltd) and managed by Sea Quest Ship Management Inc of Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines since 2008.[1][3] The ship has been bareboat-chartered to Sinbanali Shipping Inc of Manila since 2014,[3] but is reported by NYK Line on June 17 as being actually owned by Dainichi-Invest Corporation, a Japanese ship investment firm.[5]ACX Crystal is a mid-size container ship employed by ACX ('Asia Container Express'), the intra-Asia container shipping trade subsidiary of NYK Line, the global shipping and freight logistics division of the Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi.[citation needed]
In June 2017, ACX Crystal was employed by NYK on its 'PX1' (Phoenix 1) intra-Asia trade line linking Japan, Vietnam and Thailand ports. As is common in the container shipping industry, the ship's cargo capacity is shared by NYK with other lines, such as Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, K Line and other lines.
As NYK, MOL and "K" Lines shipping are creating new joint venture company under new brand name of Ocean Network Express (ONE), now ACX Crystal serve as the ONE fleet under PID service which have direct port rotation of Singapore-Port Kelang (North)-Subic Bay-Manila-Singapore-Surabaya-Singapore
At 01.30 local time on 17 June 2017 (17.30 UTC 16 June), ACX Crystal, carrying 1,080 containers from Nagoya to Tokyo, reported that it had collided with USS Fitzgerald near Shizuoka, Japan, about 56 nautical miles (104 kilometres; 64 miles) south of the Yokosuka Japanese and US naval base at the entrance of Tokyo Bay.[6][7][8] The merchant ship's port bow and bulbous bow suffered minor damage. Fitzgerald suffered severe damage to both her starboard side superstructure and her starboard side below the waterline. Fitzgerald's commanding officer and two sailors were injured and evacuated by helicopter, and seven Navy sailors were found dead in the damaged, flooded starboard compartments.[9]
NYK stated that none of the 20 crew members aboard the container ship, all Filipino, were injured, and that the ship was not leaking oil. They also confirmed their full co-operation with Japan Coast Guard's investigation of the incident, which began the same day.[2][7] On 17 August 2017, Vice Chief of Naval OperationsAdmiral William Moran stated that "serious mistakes" were made by the Fitzgerald's "bridge team" (those conducting safety watch on board the ship's bridge) which caused them to lose "situational awareness," thus rendering it impossible to avoid the collision even after the ACX Crystal was sighted.[10] By 18 September 2017, six senior officials in the US Navy had been removed from duty in connection with the Fitzgerald collision and the 23 August 2017 collision of its sister ship, the USS John S. McCain with the oil tankerMV Alnic MC.[11][12]
Manila, Philippines
