The USS Harry S. Truman, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was involved in a collision with the Panamanian-flagged merchant vessel Besiktas-M near the Suez Canal on Wednesday night, according to a US Navy spokesperson.
The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation, but initial reports indicate that no injuries were sustained on either vessel. While Besiktas-M suffered some damage, the Truman’s nuclear propulsion system remained unaffected, and no flooding was reported.The collision occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, close to Egypt’s Port Said, an area known for its dense maritime traffic. Tracking data shows that Besiktas-M, a 617-foot bulk carrier, had recently exited the canal en route to Romania, while the 1,100-foot USS Truman was preparing to enter.
Maritime expert Sal Mercogliano noted that around 100 ships were in the vicinity at the time of the accident, making navigation particularly challenging. Former US Navy Captain Carl Schuster explained that in such congested waterways, even minor navigational misjudgments could quickly escalate into dangerous situations.The Truman had recently completed a two-month deployment in the Central Command region, where it conducted strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen and targeted ISIS positions in Somalia. It had docked in Souda Bay, Greece, for maintenance before resuming operations.
Although rare, collisions between US Navy carriers and merchant vessels have occurred before. The last known incident involving a carrier happened in 2004, when the USS John F. Kennedy struck a dhow in the Persian Gulf. More tragically, in 2017, two US Navy destroyers—the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain—were involved in separate fatal collisions, resulting in the deaths of 17 sailors.While aircraft carriers typically operate with a protective strike group, their transit through narrow passages like the Suez Canal requires single-file movement, increasing the risk of maritime incidents.