The Associated Press An undetermined amount of diesel oil leaked Tuesday from the aging USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier in the port of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, officials said.
"We don't know the extent of the damage from the incident, but it occurred in a confined area and there is a slim chance of oil leaking outside the port," said Japanese Coast Guard official Takeshi Sano.
The U.S. Navy said the spill was minimal.
"It was a minor leak, and virtually all of it has been contained," military spokesman Bill Dougherty said. "A cleanup was launched immediately, and we are working hand in hand with the Japanese Coast Guard."
He said the exact amount of oil wasn't known and an investigation was under way.
Commissioned in April 1961, the Kitty Hawk is the oldest active U.S. carrier. It will be replaced with the USS George Washington in 2008, which would be the first nuclear-powered U.S. vessel stationed in Japan.
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