Third Awaji-class minesweeper enters service with JMSDF

The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) commissioned the ocean minesweeper JS Etajima into service on Tuesday, March 16.

The vessel is named after the city of Etajima in Hiroshima prefecture, where the JMSDF’s Officer Candidate School is located.

Etajima is the third Awaji-class minesweeper to be built by Japan Marine United (JMU) for the JMSDF. Like its sisters, it has an FRP hull, an LOA of 67 metres, a beam of 11 metres, a displacement of 690 tonnes, and two 1,640kW diesel engines that deliver a speed of 14 knots.