A bizarre collision occurred between two British warships while they were docked at a port in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as shown in a video circulating online and in British media. Footage revealed the high-tech British ship "HMS Chiddingfold" colliding with another ship, "HMS Bangor," which specializes in mine-hunting, according to the British newspapers "Mirror" and "Daily Mail."
According to the two newspapers, there were no injuries among the crew members in "this embarrassing maritime incident," but both ships are undergoing inspections for damage, while other images indicated that one of them was damaged in its outer structure, as reported by the Daily Mail. A spokesperson for the Royal Navy told the Mirror: "We are aware of an incident involving two warships from the mine-hunting fleet in Bahrain. There were no injuries resulting from this incident," adding that it is not appropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.
Footage posted on social media showed the Chiddingfold maneuvering backward towards the anchored Bangor in the port. The sound of the collision was loud, and the recording showed the Bangor shaking from the impact. Admiral Edward Algren, the Royal Navy's operations commander, stated on social media platform X that no one was injured but some damage occurred. He added, "I assure you that a full and thorough investigation is already underway, and any procedural amendments to prevent such incidents from happening again will be implemented swiftly."
He further said, "In the meantime, the United Kingdom will continue to play a key role in ensuring the safety of commercial shipping in the region." According to the Mirror, both ships are in the Gulf as part of "Operation KEPION," which represents the UK's long-term air and maritime presence in the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. Notably, the Chiddingfold is based in Portsmouth, southern England, while the Bangor is stationed in Faslane, Scotland.
