US aircraft carrier collides with merchant ship in Mediterranean Sea

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman collided with a large merchant vessel on the night of February 12 while operating near Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea.

"The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M at approximately 11:46 p.m. local time, Feb. 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea," a statement from the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet confirmed, Caliber.Az reports.

A U.S. official stated that the collision occurred while the carrier was waiting to enter the Suez Canal for its transit back into the Red Sea. The incident involved a rare collision of two large vessels—the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier and the 53,000-ton Panamanian-flagged merchant ship Besiktas-M.

There were no reports of injuries or flooding aboard the Truman, which carries a crew of 5,000 sailors. The damage to the carrier is reportedly above the waterline, and officials are still assessing its impact on operations.

Another U.S. official noted that the Besiktas-M sustained damage but remained operational under its own propulsion. There were no injuries reported among the merchant vessel’s crew.

The Truman, powered by two nuclear reactors and four propulsion systems, remains in a "safe and stable condition," according to the Sixth Fleet’s statement. The ship’s propulsion plants were unaffected by the collision.

The aircraft carrier and its strike group have been operating in the Red Sea since mid-December as part of efforts to counter Houthi militant attacks on commercial vessels transiting the region. The Truman recently arrived at a naval base in Crete for a rare break after continuous operations, though the intensity of its mission had decreased following Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas in mid-January.

The Houthis have claimed their attacks on shipping were in support of Hamas. The incident near Port Said is currently under investigation.

By Vugar Khalilov