US destroyer collides with tanker, 10 sailors missing

Ten US sailors were missing after a collision between a destroyer and a tanker east of Singapore on Monday, the second involving an American warship and a merchant ship in Asia in about two months, triggering a probe of operations and training.

The guided missile destroyer John S McCain and the tanker Alnic MC collided while the warship was heading to Singapore for a routine port call. The collision tore a hole in the warship’s waterline, flooding compartments that included a crew sleeping area.

Defence secretary James Mattis said there would be a wider investigation into US naval operations after the collision.

Admiral John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said he was calling an “operational pause” in US fleets worldwide “to make sure that we are taking all appropriateimmediateactionsto ensure safe and effective operations around the world.”

The John S McCain had made its way to Singapore’s Changi Naval Base by Monday afternoon under its own power.

A crew member on the Alnic MC told Reuters there was no oil spill from the Liberian-flagged, 183 metre tanker, which was carrying almost 12,000 tonnes of fuel oil from Taiwan to discharge in Singapore. Stealth Maritime Corporation, the Greece-based owner of the tanker, said the vessel was moving to safe anchorage for assessment.

Collisions between warships and other large vessels are extremely rare, with naval historians having to go back more than 50 years to find a similar incident.