Fujairah: A US Navy guided-missile destroyer suffered minor damage when it collided with an oil tanker early on Sunday just outside the Strait of Hormuz.
The collision left a gaping hole in the starboard side of the USS Porter. No one was injured on either vessel, the US Navy said in a statement.
The collision with the Panamanian-flagged bulk oil tanker M/V Otowasan occurred at approximately 1am local time., officials said.
“Both vessels are okay and the Strait of Hormuz is not closed, and business is as usual there,” a Fujairah coast guard official who preferred not to be named told Gulf News .
The cause of the incident is under investigation, the official said, adding that there were no reports of spills or leakages from either the USS Porter or the Otowasan in the Gulf.
The official said they had been alerted about the incident at about 1am.
Tensions have risen in the Gulf this year as Iran has threatened to close the strait to international shipping if its dispute with the United States over its nuclear programme escalates.
Washington says it maintains naval forces in the Gulf to ensure security in the region.
The oil tanker, owned by Japan’s Mitsui OSK, was bound for Fujairah from Mesaieed in Qatar, according to ship tracking websites.
— With inputs from agencies
