A nuclear- powered submarine U.S. military submarine collided with Japanese tanker in the Strait of Hormuz near the Arabian Sea on Monday, a statement by the US military said.
The 360-foot (110-meter) submarine, the 'USS Newport News,' was apparently carrying 127 officers and crew when it collided with the 'Mogami Gawa,' shortly after 10 a.m. local time, according to Bloomberg News.
The collision did not result in any injuries, though it is unclear how and why the collision occurred. The area is both an important shipping point between the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea for transporting oil products from countries including Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as being near a war zone in which the US if fighting in Iraq.
Also according to the military statement, the Newport News was on a "regular'' deployment carrying out "maritime security operations'' under the U.S. Navy Central Command.
"Any time there's an accident there's a concern,'' Vician said. "The Navy will be looking into it," said Department of Defense spokesman Todd Vician.
