U.S Navy Ship USNS Alan Shepard That Transports Ammunition Ran Aground In Bahrain

Investigations are ongoing to uncover how and why the 19,000-ton US Naval Ship ran aground in Bahrain this weekend.

The ship in question is the USNS Alan Shepard, a 210-metre-long dry cargo ship of the Lewis and Clark class. It departed a shipyard in Al Hidd, Bahrain, on 15th July Saturday and was heading to the Khalifa bin Salman Port when it struck the ground and stopped.

There were 85 people onboard the vessel when it ran aground. However, nobody was injured, a 5th Fleet Spokesperson mentioned in a statement.

The Navy refloated the vessel on Sunday with the help of tugboats. After this, the Alan Shepard was anchored off of the Khalifa bin Salman port.

The 5th Fleet is analysing the extent of damage that the ship received.

The USNS Alan Shepard entered service in 2007. It is a cargo ship that usually carries ammunition for resupplying ships out at sea.

Other incidents of ships running aground include the guided-missile cruiser, the USS Antietam, which ran aground in 2017. Its propellors were damaged, spilling 1100 gallons of fuel in the waters close to Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. It was concluded that the ship’s captain was responsible for it. There have also been cases of near collisions between ships in bays and ports.

References: taskandpurpose, gulfinsider, starsandstripes

U.S Navy Ship USNS Alan Shepard That Transports Ammunition Ran Aground In Bahrain appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News