On Wednesday, the United States Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman was involved in a collision with a merchant ship, the Besiktas-M, near Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the US Navy.
"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," the Navy's Sixth Fleet Public Affairs said in a statement.
"The collision did not endanger the Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) as there are no reports of flooding or injuries. The propulsion plants are unaffected and in a safe and stable condition," it added.
The Navy said the incident is now "under investigation."
The Besiktas-M is a Panamanian-flagged cargo carrier:
According to MarineTraffic.com, Besiktas-M is a bulk cargo carrier that sails under the Panamanian flag. The ship is 618 feet long and 105 feet wide and is capable of carrying nearly 30,000 tons of cargo.
Marine tracking data showed the ship had just cleared the Suez Canal and was reportedly headed from Port Said to a destination in Romania.
Earlier, Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson shared reporting of the story on X:
6th Fleet says U.S. Navy aircraft carrier collides with merchant ship:
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) February 13, 2025
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…
The U.S. Navy has had other troubling collisions in recent years. In 2017, there were two such, including the destroyer USS Fitzgerald, which collided with the merchant ship MV ACX Crystal in the western Pacific, killing seven American sailors. Only months later the USS John S. McCain collided with the cargo ship Alnic MC, also in the Pacific, killing 10 sailors.
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It's important to note that the 2017 incidents both involved smaller ships, both destroyers. The USS Harry S. Truman, as an aircraft carrier, generally travels surrounded by smaller ships for submarine screening and air defense, as well as at-sea replenishment.
While details are still pending on the latest incident, at this point it's unclear which ship struck which, or how a merchant vessel was able to approach the aircraft carrier. Port Said is at the northern end of the Suez Canal, and presumably it's possible that both ships were operating in the restricted waters near the canal terminus, leading to the incident; at this point, we just don't know.
This is a developing story. We will bring you updates as events warrant. At this time, at least, there are no reports of any American sailors injured.
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