Refueling incident at sea. Collision of the destroyer USS Truxtun with a supply vessel

Two U.S. Navy ships – a destroyer and a support vessel – collided harmlessly while refueling in waters near South America, resulting in minor injuries to two people, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The newspaper, citing the spokesman for the US Southern Command, Col. Emmanuel Ortiz, reported that The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Truxtun and the Supply-class fast combat support vessel USNS Supply collided while refueling at sea.. Ortiz said two people who suffered minor injuries were in stable condition and both vessels reported they were safe to continue their voyage.

The cause of the collision is unclear and the location where it occurred has not been specified. However, it is understood that the collision occurred within the Southern Command's area of ​​responsibility, which covers the Caribbean and parts of the South Atlantic and South Pacific. The WSJ reported that Truxtun had left its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, on February 6 to begin a planned mission, while Supply was in the Caribbean Sea.

“WSJ” reminds that President Donald Trump has ordered the strengthening of naval forces in the Caribbean in recent months to support the campaign against drug traffickers in this region. There are 12 warships in U.S. Southern Command, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group.

The newspaper also explains that vessels such as Supply are owned by the Navy but operated mainly by civilian sailors.

Collisions involving warships are relatively rare but can be fatal. In June 2017, the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with the MV ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship, approximately 150 km off the coast of Japan, resulting in the death of seven sailors. Just two months later, the Liberian-flagged tanker Alnic MC struck the destroyer USS John S. McCain in the Strait of Malacca near Singapore, resulting in the drowning of 10 sailors. Exactly one year ago, on February 12, 2025, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman collided with a merchant ship near Port Said in Egypt, but no one was injured. (PAP)

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