The U.S. Navy plans to raise a Japanese fisheries training ship that was sunk in February off Hawaii by a U.S. submarine from June through August, navy sources said Thursday.
The sources said the navy would try to complete the salvage operation by the end of August because rough seas anticipated in September could hamper the work.
The source said it would take about 10 weeks to conduct the environmental impact assessment required for raising the 499-ton Ehime Maru from the seabed 600 meters below.
The ship could contaminate the environment by leaking fuel. The collision took place just off the island of Oahu.
The cost of the operation is estimated at about $40 million, or about 5 billion yen. The navy has informally chosen a Dutch salvage company to perform the operation, the sources said.
The Ehime Maru, from Uwajima Fisheries High School in Ehime Prefecture, sank Feb. 9 after being hit by the 6,080-ton USS Greeneville. Nine Japanese, including four teenage students, were lost at sea.