Military Sealift Command Ship Remains Grounded Off Japan

In this file photo taken Jan. 7, 2015, the Military Sealift Command prepositioning vessel USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak (T-AK 3005) takes on cargo in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. U.S. Navy Photo

Military Sealift Command’s prepositioning vessel USNS Sgt. Matej Kocak (T-AK 3005) remained stuck Monday on a reef off the East Coast of Okinawa, Japan after the ship ran aground there last Friday morning (local time).

The vessel remains grounded approximately 6 nautical miles off the coast of Uruma, Okinawa.

According to a report Monday by the Stars and Stripes, 47 soldiers and 18 marines have been transferred off the vessel by a landing craft ship. The USNS Kocak remains stuck on a reef just outside of a deep-water shipping channel, where the open ocean is separated from Nakagusuku Bay, also known as Buckner Bay, the report said.

The U.S. Navy reported last Thursday that there were 38 civilian crew members, along with 67 Army and 26 USMC personnel aboard when the ship ran aground. No injuries were reported.

No leaks from the hull have been found and no damage to the surrounding area has been reported, the Navy reported on Thursday.

The combination container-Ro/Ro Sgt. Matej Kocak measures 821 feet and displaces 51,162 tons.

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