LONDON: Two British warships collided at a Bahrain port, causing damage to the vessels but no injuries, the Royal Navy said.
The HMS Chiddingfold appeared to reverse into the HMS Bangor as it was at a dock, according to video posted on social media.
“Why this happened is still to be established,” said Rear Admiral Edward Ahlgren. “We train our people to the highest standards and rigorously enforce machinery safety standards, but unfortunately incidents of this nature can still happen.”
Ahlgren said investigators were probing what led to the incident. The two minehunters have been based in the Middle East to help protect merchant vessels.
The British military joined the US last week in bombing more than a dozen sites used by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, whose relentless attacks on cargo vessels and warships in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping and forced many vessels to take alternative, more expensive routes, some taking around the Horn of Africa.
Despite “defensive strikes” on Houthi targets in Yemen by the US and other ships involved in Operation Guardian to protect vessels in the Red Sea, the Iran-backed Houthi militia vows to continue targeting all ships linked to Israel.
