Us Aircraft Carrier Collides With Merchant Vessel

A U.S. aircraft carrier collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, a U.S. Navy spokesperson said Thursday.

The collision occurred between the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and the merchant vessel Besiktas-M, according to U.S. Navy Cmdr. Timothy Gorman, a spokesperson for the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

The ships collided in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, at approximately 11:46 p.m. local time, Gorman said. There were no reported injuries or flooding on the Navy aircraft carrier and its propulsion plants “are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition," Gorman said.

No injuries were reported on the merchant ship either, according to The Associated Press, which cited a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that had not yet been made public.

The incident is currently under investigation, Gorman said, and officials will continue to release information as they learn more.

The Truman deployed to the Mediterranean and Middle East in September and just completed a port call in Souda Bay, Greece, the AP noted.

Updated at 1:19 p.m. EST