--- title: "Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman Collides With Merchant Ship (Updated)" description: "Details are still emerging, but the U.S. Navy supercarrier USS *Harry S. Truman* has collided with a merchant vessel identified as the *Besiktas-M* in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt's Port Said." date: "2025-02-13" modified: "2025-02-13" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/aircraft-carrier-uss-harry-s-truman-collides-with-merchant-ship" categories: - "Africa" - "Around The Globe" - "Carriers" - "Europe" - "Mediterranean" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Nimitz Class" - "Sea" - "U.S. Navy" - "USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)" --- # Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman Collides With Merchant Ship (Updated) ![Details are still emerging, but the U.S. Navy supercarrier USS Harry S. Truman has collided with a merchant vessel identified as the Besiktas-M in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt's Port Said.]() *USN* Details are still emerging, but the U.S. Navy supercarrier USS *Harry S. Truman* has collided with a merchant vessel identified as the *Besiktas-M* in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt's Port Said. The U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet released[ the following statement](): "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 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." ![]() *The USS *Harry S. Truman* in port in Souda Bay in Greece on Feb. 6, 2025. *USN* Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Eder* The current status of the *Besiktas-M* and its crew is not entirely clear. "The other ship sustained damage above the waterline, but it continued on its own power," a U.S. Navy official told *TWZ*. "The *Truman* was preparing to transit south into the Suez Canal. No damage to the nuclear power plant." We will update this story with more information as it becomes available. ***Update: 1:45 PM EST –*** The *Besiktas-M* is now further identified as a Panamanian-flagged bulk cargo ship, according to online ship tracking site [Vessel Tracker](). The 618-foot (188.5-meter) long *Besiktas-M* had been heading north after leaving the port of Aqaba in Jordan, with its stated destination being Constanta in Romania on the Black Sea. https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1890080222206427273 Vessel Tracker also says that *Besiktas-M* was involved in a previous collision with another commercial ship, the *Common Spirit*, near Chittagong in Bangladesh in 2016, in which both vessels were damaged. It has also been pointed out that collisions involving U.S. Navy carriers are rare in large part because they typically sail at the center of a carrier strike group. However, all ships have to pass single-file through the Suez Canal. https://twitter.com/johnkonrad/status/1890085646502359421 ***Update: 3:50 PM EST –*** *TWZ* has received additional information about *Truman* following the collision. "There was damage above the waterline of the carrier," a U.S. Navy official told us. "We can’t comment on \[the\] extent of the damage." The official added that "no aircraft on the carrier were damaged." ***Update: 4:40 PM EST –*** A picture said to show damage to the *Besiktas-M* as a result of the collision has now emerged, as seen below. https://twitter.com/mercoglianos/status/1890149072402805149 ***Update: 2/14/2025 –*** The U.S. Navy has now released the picture below showing damage to the USS *Harry S. Truman* as a result of the collision. ![]() **USN** You can find our continued reporting on this incident [here](). *Contact the author: [*joe@twz.com*]()* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()