Collision on the High Seas

A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer collided with an oil tanker just outside the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, leaving a gaping 10-foot-square hole in the side of the vessel, the Associated Press reports.

No one on either vessel was injured. The Panamanian-flagged and Japanese-owned bulk oil tanker M/V Otowasan has not reported spilling any oil.

The Navy has not released the cause of the accident, but did say that it was not combat related.

"We're just happy there were no injuries," Navy spokesman Greg Raelson told the AP. "An investigation is under way."

The Strait of Hormuz is at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and has been a strategic waterway in the tense relationship between Iran and the U.S.

#Iran #Navy