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20-03-09 Two US Navy Vessels Collide in Strait of Hormuz

US Navy nuclear sub and amphibious ship collide in strategic Persian Gulf oil passage.Two U.S. Navy vessels — a nuclear-powered submarine and an amphibious ship — collided before dawn Friday in the mouth of the Persian Gulf,one of the world's most important sea passages for oil supplies.There was no damage to the sub's nuclear propulsion system and no disruption to shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz,through which a fifth of the world's oil passes,said Navy spokesman Lt.Nate Christensen,with the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.Still,the unusual collision between members of the same navy sparked a sudden rise in oil prices — which had been declining on the day — even though the strait remained open.Benchmark crude for April delivery had traded lower for most of the morning,but then erased those losses and rose 39 cents to $52 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.In London,Brent prices rose 50 cents to $51.17 on the ICE Futures exchange