US Destroyer Collides With Tanker in Gulf

The US Navy says one of its guided-missile destroyers collided with an oil tanker early today but that no one was injured in the accident. The collision involving the USS Porter and the Panamanian-flagged bulk oil tanker M/V Otowasan occurred at approximately 1am local time, the US Navy said in a statement. The damage to the Porter is being evaluated and the incident is under investigation, the Navy added.

The USS Porter is on a scheduled deployment to the US 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain. The Strait of Hormuz, located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, is where one-fifth of the world's oil is routed. Tensions have risen there over Iran's threats to block tanker traffic in retaliation for tighter sanctions by the West.