Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Navy engineers are expected to present a formal proposal to the Japanese early next week for lifting the fishing vessel sunk by a U.S. submarine, officials said today.

A final decision on how to proceed is not expected until several days after that.

A Japanese delegation has been in Washington since Monday meeting with experts at the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Navy’s technical division.

A Dutch salvage company that may take up the bulk of the recovery effort presented its contract proposal for dealing with the 500-ton vessel to the Navy today, said Navy spokesman Cmdr. Greg Smith.

“The Navy has received the proposal and will evaluate it over the next several days,” he said.

The Ehime Maru, a training ship for fishing students, sank within minutes of being hit on Feb. 9 by the USS Greeneville. Four Japanese students, two teachers and three crewmen were lost. The 190-foot trawler lies in 2,000 feet of water nine miles off Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.

The recovery effort is expected to be a difficult one, given the depth of the wreckage and the damage sustained by the trawler.

The Naval Seas Systems Command is expected to take about four days to evaluate the contract proposal and then make a formal recommendation to Navy leaders, said one Navy official.

Once there is a decision about a course of action, there will have to be discussions with the Japanese, the official said, and the state of Hawaii, the Environmental Protection Agency and other segments of government will have to be dealt with.

For example, the vessel is expected to contain fuel or other oils that could have an impact on surrounding waters if spilled.

A second official, queried about a report from Japan that the method suggested involves wrapping steel plates around the Ehime Maru before it is lifted, said the exact method will depend on the condition of the boat’s hull.

In 1999, the Navy contracted with the Dutch firm Smit-International to help retrieve wreckage from the EgyptAir Flight 990. The Boeing 767 crashed south of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket, killing all 217 aboard.