2 Navy ships collide during at-sea replenishment in Caribbean, injuring sailors

(TNND) — Two U.S. Navy ships collided on Wednesday in the Caribbean, leaving two sailors with minor injuries, according to military officials.

U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) spokesperson Steven McLoud said in a statement to multiple news outlets that the Arleigh-Burke class guided missile destroyer USS Truxtun and Supply-class fast combat support vessel USNS Supply collided during “a replenishment-at-sea.”

McLoud added that the sailors are in stable condition and both ships reported sailing safely. The cause of the collision is under investigation.

A replenishment usually involves the transfer of fuel, ammunition, food and supplies between ships while moving.

The incident comes after President Donald Trump ordered a large military presence in the Southcom region to help combat drug trafficking in an operation known as Southern Spear.

Around 12 vessels are currently deployed, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world.

Last year, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman collided with a merchant vessel outside the Suez Canal near Port Said, Egypt.

An investigation released in December revealed that as the aircraft carrier was running behind schedule, the officer navigating the ship drove it at an unsafely high speed.

As a merchant ship moved into a collision path with the carrier, the officer in charge did not take enough action to move out of danger and the ship also was traveling so fast that it would have needed almost a mile and a half to come to a stop after halting the engines, the report found.

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Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.