Australian navy divers hurt in encounter with Chinese warship

The Australian government has protested to China after navy divers were injured by a Chinese destroyer’s sonar while underwater removing fishing nets stuck to their vessel.

The HMAS Toowoomba was operating in international waters off Japan at the time of the encounter.

Australian navy divers have been injured by a Chinese destroyer’s sonar pulse as they were underwater removing fishing nets that were stuck to their vessel.

On Saturday the government announced it has protested to China over an incident near Japan that saw a Chinese destroyer come dangerously close to the frigate HMAS Toowoomba on Tuesday.

In a statement Acting PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government had “expressed its serious concerns” to China over an “unsafe and unprofessional” incident with a Chinese destroyer in international waters inside of Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Australian ship was in the area to support United Nations sanctions enforcement and was stopped so navy divers could clear fishing nets that had become trapped around its propellers.

While the operation was underway a Chinese destroyer “closed towards HMAS Toowoomba”, ignoring repeated warning from the Australian ship that its divers were in the water and asking it to steer clear.

Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Toowoomba, with French Navy Ship FNS Languedoc beside it, during training exercises in the Gulf.

Despite acknowledging the messages the Chinse ship continued to approach and was detected using its hull-mounted sonar “in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water”.

The Australian government has described the incident as “unsafe and unprofessional conduct”.

Doctors later confirmed the divers had sustained minor injuries.

HMAS Toowoomba, with its sister ship HMAS Stuart, docked at Cunningham Pier in Geelong and open to the public. Picture: Alan Barber

The incident follows a number of hostile actions from PLA warships against the ADF in recent years.

In February 2022 Australia reacted with fury after a Chinese warship fired a military-grade laser at an RAAF aircraft it was monitoring as it passed Northern Australia.

Laser attacks on aircraft can injure pilots and affect an aircraft’s systems and are considered highly dangerous and provocative.

Chinese fishing fleets have also been accused of using lasers to disorient aircraft monitoring them.

That incident followed a 2019 incident in which a PLA warship used a military-grade laser against an RAAF aircraft that was on exercises in the South China Sea.

Originally published as Australian navy divers hurt in encounter with Chinese warship