USS Porter collides with oil tanker (VIDEO)
This screengrab shows the Strait of Hormuz. (Google Maps)
A US Navy destroyer collided with a Japanese oil taker near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Navy posted a statement on the Fifth Fleet's website:
"No one was hurt Sunday morning when a US Navy guided missile destroyer and a large Japanese owned merchant vessel collided near the Strait of Hormuz."
The statement added: "USS Porter is on a scheduled deployment to the US 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts."
Bloomberg Businessweek explains the incident's geopolitical context:
The "Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway carrying a fifth of the world’s traded oil that Iranian officials have threatened to block in retaliation for sanctions targeting the country’s nuclear program. The U.S. Navy has said it would move to stop any Iranian attempt block the waterway."
Reuters reported the incident is "non-combat" related. The cause of the collision is being investigated.
"Both vessels are okay and the Strait of Hormuz is not closed, and business is as usual there," an anonymous Oman coast guard official told Reuters.
Here is unconfirmed footage of the USS Porter after the collision:
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