DUBAI, (Reuters) – A nuclear-powered U.S. submarine and another U.S. vessel that collided on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz bordering Iran have arrived at a Bahrain port to be assessed for damage, the U.S. Navy said on Saturday.
Submarine USS Hartford and amphibious vessel USS New Orleans have arrived at Mina Salman Port “to further assess and evaluate the damage that resulted from their collision at sea,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.
Fifteen sailors were slightly injured in the collision early on Friday, the second collision involving a U.S. nuclear submarine in the Strait of Hormuz in about two years.
There was no damage to the USS Hartford’s atomic propulsion unit but the other vessel suffered a ruptured fuel tank, resulting in an oil spill of approximately 25,000 gallons (113,700 litres) of marine diesel fuel, the Navy said.
“The quick dissipation of the fuel is likely due to the type of fuel, and various environmental factors to include air and water temperatures, winds and seas,” the statement said.
The collision did not affect shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the Navy said on Friday.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow stretch of water separating Oman and Iran, connects the biggest Gulf oil producers, such as Saudi Arabia, with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Around 40 percent of globally traded oil leaves the region through the Strait, which borders Iran.
Asharq Al-Awsat
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