January 10, 2007	Wednesday	Zilhaj 19, 1427

WASHINGTON, Jan 9: A US Navy nuclear-powered submarine collided with a Japanese oil tanker in one of the world’s busiest seaways but no injuries were immediately reported.

The USS Newport News was underwater when it hit the oil tanker Mogamigawa late on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz in the Arabian Sea, said a US navy spokeswoman in Bahrain, Lieutenant Denise Garcia.

The strait is located between Iran and Oman and is one of the busiest routes for oil tankers. The Newport News is part of a US carrier group that is on anti-terrorism duties in the region.

But the US military said it is investigating the cause of the accident, which Garcia said happened at about 10:15pm (2015 GMT) on Monday.

“Overall damage to the USS Newport News is being evaluated. The propulsion plant was unaffected by this collision,” Garcia said.

In Tokyo, the Japanese foreign ministry said the submarine’s bow collided with the stern of the oil tanker.

“Apparently, there were no injuries on the submarine or the tanker,” the ministry said in a statement, citing US government information.

The tanker was operated by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, or K Line, according to a spokesman for Showa Shell Sekiyu, which contracted the vessel.—AFP