According to an official release from the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet Public Affairs Office, “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 Sixth Fleet’s statement also reads “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. The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available.”
Aircraft Carrier and 53,000 Ton Merchant Ship Collide
Later statements from US Navy officials were “the damage is above the waterline of the carrier and that “no aircraft aboard the deck were damaged.” Port Said, Egypt, the area of the incident, is located at the northern point of the Suez Canal, where it enters into the Mediterranean Sea.
Reports from other sources state “the position of Truman suggests the carrier was returning to the Red Sea after a port visit to Souda Bay, Greece.”
The cargo ship, the Besiktas-M, reportedly had its Automatic Identification System transponder switched on, as ships at sea are legally obligated to do under international convention. AIS is an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is used by vessel traffic services (VTS).
According to the AIS data, the ship had just transited the Suez Canal and was bound for the Black Sea port of Constanța, Romania.
The Besiktas-M, a bulk carrier, is reported to be more than 550 feet long and with a deadweight of 53,000 tons.
Crowded Space
The collision with the Truman was on the aft section of that ship’s starboard quarter of the hull.
Later reports and a photo released appear to show damage to the ship’s elevator no. 3, but the extent of that damage, if any, is not known.
At the time the US vessel was reportedly headed into port for repairs, but its AIS transponder was not switched on.
That area of the Mediterranean has been described as a “crowded anchorage.” This means that, given traffic conditions, the US ship’s lack of AIS “pinging” was not necessarily advisable.
This is according to Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian and former merchant mariner, who runs a YouTube channel focusing on maritime incidents, “What’s Going on With Shipping.”
His analogy is that this part of the Med where Suez Canal traffic breaks into the open sea is like “standing in front of the doors of a schoolhouse” on a Friday when the “school’s out” bell rings and the front doors abruptly fling open.
Mercogliano also commented that losing one of the elevators would have a significant negative impact on the ability of the ship to conduct air operations.
In this region of the world, air operations can be required to run at an extremely high op-tempo.
The USS Truman had recently come under attack multiple times from Houthi rebels, including one engagement that lasted nine hours and was eventually forced to withdraw.
Traffic History
Information on the ship listed by the VTS tracking site reveals this is not the first time it has had a collision at sea with another vessel.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA (March 11, 2021) The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), left, the Italian navy Carlo Bergamini-class frigate ITS Virginio Fasan (F 591), the Hellenic Navy Hydra-class frigate HS Psara (F 494) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), right, are underway in formation, March 11, 2021. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group on a routine deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national interests and security in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kaleb J. Sarten) 210311-N-QD512-3060.
In August 2016, the merchant vessel collided with bulk carrier M/V Common Spirit near the Bangladesh port city of Chittagong.
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is now an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw. He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.
