Feb. 13 (UPI) — A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier collided with a merchant vessel in the Mediterranean Sea Wednesday night, according to a statement from the military.
The Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman, a 100,000 ton aircraft carrier, was traveling near Port Said, Egypt, when it collided with the Besiktas-M, a 53,000 ton merchant ship, at 11:46 am local time, a statement from The Navy’s sixth fleet said.
There were no injuries reported, nor did either ship report taking on any water, according to a social media post by Open Source Intelligence Monitor. The Harry S. Truman is capable of carrying as many as 5,000 sailors.
The Navy reported that the carrier’s propulsion systems were not affected and were said to be in a safe and stable condition, ABC News reported.
The aircraft carrier is part of a mission that has been operating in the Red Sea since the middle of last December, dispatched to stop attacks launched by Houthis from Yemen on commercial vessels in the critical transportation waterway. The Houthis have claimed their attacks are in support of Hamas.
The Harry S. Truman is a high-profile super carrier and has been involved in a series of military activities in the Red Sea, including the first strike targeting Houthis in 2025.
Wednesday’s collision with the merchant vessel remains under investigation, the Navy said.
