World / Russia denies its ship 'aggressively approached' US Navy destroyer

The Russian defense ministry has dismissed claims by the US Fifth Fleet that a Russian navy ship “aggressively approached” USS Farragut in the North Arabian Sea. It was the US vessel that broke the rules, it said.

The US Naval Forces Central Command on Friday accused a “Russian Navy ship” of provoking a near-collision with the US Navy destroyer USS Farragut in the North Arabian Sea.

In a statement, that was promptly picked up by many western outlets, the US Navy said that the Russian vessel had “aggressively approached” the American destroyer during the incident on Thursday. It claimed the Russian ship ignored its warnings about a potential collision before ultimately altering its course.

“While the Russian ship took action, the initial delay in complying with international rules while it was making an aggressive approach increased the risk of collision.”

Russia’s Ministry of Defence responded by calling the US claim “not consistent with reality.” It further explained that it was, in fact, the USS Farragut that crossed the path of the Russian ship in violation of international maritime regulations, and called the American crew’s actions “unprofessional.”

The ministry also said that the two videos shot by the Americans actually prove that the Russian vessel had the right of way. One of them shows the Russian ship sailing to the right of the US destroyer without making any dangerous maneuvers. The two ships can be seen gradually coming closer to each other, however.

The second video shows the Russian ship sailing closely behind the USS Farragut before it turns away to seemingly avoid a potential collision.

The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea – a 1972 convention regulating the rules of navigation in the open sea – states that “the vessel which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall, if the circumstances of the case admit, avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel.”