The only tanker tanker of the US aircraft carrier group in the Middle East, Big Horn, ran aground and the country's navy in the region was left without refueling. The Pentagon is urgently looking for a commercial tanker.
"The US Navy tanker USNS Big Horn ran aground and partially flooded off the coast of Oman, leaving the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group without a main fuel source," gCaptain reports. It notes that no one was injured, but the ship lost control and was towed to the port of Dukm in Oman.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that the 33-year—old vessel is one of the single-hull versions of the Kaiser-class tankers, and, most importantly, the Big Horn is the only US Navy tanker in the Middle East.
"One of the shipowners informed gCaptain that the Navy is struggling to find a commercial oil tanker that would take its place and deliver aviation fuel to the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln," gCaptain continues.
According to him, attracting a commercial tanker as a temporary replacement will not be easy and will require a lot of effort, as it will be necessary to install a consolidated cargo handling and refueling system (CONSOL): "This system includes specialized refueling units, stretched fuel hoses and high—capacity fuel pumps - all this is necessary for the safe transportation of fuel to warships at sea. The tanker will also need reliable communication and control systems to ensure accurate coordination during refueling maneuvers."
In addition, gCaptain noted that commercial tankers are significantly slower than Navy tankers, which may make the Abraham Lincoln more vulnerable to attacks during aviation fuel loading operations.
"Currently, the US Navy is facing an acute shortage of tankers and crews to operate them. Previously in The Navy announced that it could dock 17 supply ships, including one oil tanker, due to difficulties with recruiting American sailors. Despite the fact that the US Navy launched five new John Lewis—class tankers this week, problems remain," gCaptain writes.
According to forecasts, the Pentagon will need more than a hundred tankers of various sizes in the event of a serious conflict in the Pacific Ocean.
"However, current estimates indicate that the Department of Defense has access to only ten, which is a dangerously low number and threatens to damage US military operations. Without sufficient tanker capacity, even the most advanced naval capabilities, including nuclear-powered aircraft carriers that still rely on aviation fuel, will be ineffective," the publication noted, adding that the problem has become much more acute after the closure of the Navy's huge fuel depot in Hawaii.