US Navy carrier collides with merchant ship near Suez Canal: What to know
The ship's recent departure from the Red Sea has left Middle Eastern waters without a US aircraft carrier for the third time in 15 months.
WASHINGTON — A US Navy aircraft carrier recently stationed in the Middle East was involved in a collision with a commercial vessel near the north side of Egypt's Suez Canal just before midnight on Wednesday, the Navy said in a statement on Thursday.
The USS Harry S. Truman sustained no flooding, and none of its crew were injured in the collision with the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Besiktas-M, said the spokesperson for the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet, US Navy Cmdr. Timothy Gorman, in the statement.
The status of the Besiktas-M and its crew was not immediately clear as of publication time. The commercial bulk carrier remained at anchor near Port Said, according to open-source tracking.
The collision occurred at around 11:46 p.m. local time on Wednesday night. None of the Truman's propulsion systems sustained damage, Gorman said in the statement, adding that the Navy is investigating the incident.
The Truman has been stationed in Middle Eastern waters since mid-December, as the US Navy and Air Force have sought to defend commercial shipping from Houthi rebel missile and drone attacks emanating from Yemen. The carrier recently transited the Suez Canal and arrived in port in Souda Bay, Greece, last week before setting sail again in the Mediterranean.
The ship's recent departure from the Red Sea has left Middle Eastern waters without a US aircraft carrier for the third time in 15 months, according to USNI News.
US military officials have not confirmed whether the collision will delay the ship's expected onward movement to its next destination, which remains unannounced. The Pentagon typically does not disclose the destination of US aircraft carriers, though the Truman's position near Port Said suggested it may have been waiting to reenter the Suez Canal and cross back into the Red Sea.
In 2021, a 400-meter-long (1,312 feet) container ship, the Ever Given, became lodged between opposing banks of the canal, blocking international shipping traffic for six days.
Roughly 12% to 15% of global trade passes through the canal daily. The US Navy maintains preferential access to the canal to respond to crises in the Gulf region.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
