Nuclear-Powered U.S. Submarine Collides with Japanese Oil Tanker

A collision between a U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarine and a Japanese-flagged tanker has spurred an internal U.S. Navy investigation into the cause of the incident. There were no reported injuries on either vessel after the USS Newport News (SSN 750) and the merchant vessel collided in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening January 8, 2007. At the time of the incident, the submarine was underway and proceeding submerged when it struck the vessel, near its stern.

While overall damage to the submarine was still being evaluated, U.S. Navy spokespersons said that the propulsion plant was unaffected by the collision. Damage to the M/T “Mogamigawa” was minor and there was no oil spill of oil or leakage of nuclear fuel, according to US and Japanese government officials. Both ships remained able to navigate, and the submarine surfaced after the incident.

The Japanese government announced that it had been advised of the collision by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. After the collision, the tanker, operated by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd., was able to continue to a nearby port in the United Arab Emirates. According to a company press release of January 10th, the VLCC "Mogamigawa" had arrived at Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates on the 9th, where inspections by divers commenced. Damages to the number 5 ballast tank, located some 70 meters forward of the stern, were noted. Additionally, a temporary repair was effected so as to stop sea water inflow into the ballast tank. Plans for permanent repairs were underway.

The Mogamigawa was enroute to Singapore from the Gulf with a crew of eight Japanese and 16 Filipinos. U.S. and allied navy vessels regularly patrol the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and western Indian Ocean, attempting to block smuggling of weapons to Iraq and Somalia, nuclear components to Iran, as well as other illicit activities. The 34-mile wide Straits of Hormuz, the entrance to the Persian Gulf and through which as much as 40 percent of the world's crude oil supplies must pass, are flanked by Oman and Iraq.

The Japanese government has asked the United States to investigate the incident and US Naval personnel have said that investigations would soon begin. The incident is not the first between U.S. Naval ships and a commercial Japanese vessel. As recently as February of 2001, another U.S. Navy submarine struck a Japanese fishing vessel off the coast of Hawaii, killing nine. And, within the past three years, at least two other collisions between U.S. Naval assets and merchant vessels have occurred in the shipping lanes around the Persian Gulf.