10 US warship crew missing after collision with tanker off S'pore

Singapore

TEN sailors remain missing after a US warship collided with an oil tanker east of Singapore before dawn on Monday, tearing a hole beneath the waterline and flooding compartments that include a crew sleeping area, the US Navy said, adding that an investigation is now under way.

The collision between guided-missile destroyer USS John S McCain and tanker Alnic MC was the second involving a US Navy destroyer and a merchant vessel in Asian waters in just over two months.

The vessels collided as the warship was heading to Singapore for a routine port call, the Navy said in a statement. "Initial reports indicate John S McCain sustained damage to her port side aft. There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured."

The destroyer later made its way to Singapore's Changi Naval Base by Monday afternoon under its own steam. Significant damage to the hull had resulted in flooding to compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms, the Navy said, but crew members were able to stop the flooding.

Four of the injured were taken by helicopter to hospital in Singapore with non-life threatening injuries. The fifth needed no further treatment.

The USS John S McCain's sister ship, the USS Fitzgerald, almost sank off the coast of Japan after it was struck by a Philippine container ship on June 17. The bodies of seven USS Fitzgerald sailors were found in a flooded berthing area.

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

A search-and-rescue mission was under way for the sailors missing from the USS John S McCain involving Singaporean ships, helicopters and tugs, as well as US Navy aircraft.

Reuters video footage from the Singapore Strait showed an area of impact about six metres wide in the John S McCain's port side.

The Navy later said that the amphibious assault ship USS America had arrived to provide messing and berthing for crew of the USS John S McCain. It would also provide support for the search of the missing, and divers to assess the damage.

A crew member on the Alnic MC told Reuters by telephone that there was no oil spill from the Liberian-flagged, 183 metre-long tanker, which was carrying almost 12,000 tonnes of fuel oil from Taiwan to discharge in Singapore.

"We have not discharged the tanker yet," said the crew member, who asked not to be identified. "We are proceeding to Raffles Reserved Anchorage, where the owners will investigate the matter. There was some damage to the valve, but no oil spill."

Stealth Maritime Corporation, the Greece-based owner of the tanker, said that the vessel was moving to safe anchorage for assessment.

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said that no injuries were reported on the Alnic MC, which suffered some damage above the waterline. "There is no report of oil pollution and traffic in the Singapore Strait is unaffected," MPA said, adding that the collision happened in Singaporean territorial waters.

However, Malaysia's navy said the collision happened in Malaysian waters and that it had sent vessels to assist.

The Pedra Branca area, near where the collision happened, has long been contested by both countries, with an international court ruling in Singapore's favour in 2008. Malaysia filed an application to review that ruling this year.

"The Malaysian agencies are not involved in the search-and-rescue operations that are led by Singapore," MPA said.

The US Navy said Malaysian navy vessels and a helicopter joined the search in the afternoon. Indonesia said that it had sent two aircraft and two warships to help.

The waterways around Singapore are some of the busiest and most important in the world, carrying about a third of global shipping trade.

Ben Stewart, commercial manager of Maritime Asset Security and Training in Singapore, said that early indications suggested that the warship may have turned across the front of the tanker. "Instances like this should be rare and they are rare."

The US Navy said last week that it had removed the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on the USS Fitzgerald following an investigation into that collision.

The USS Fitzgerald and USS John S McCain, built in the same shipyard, are ballistic missile defence (BMD) capable ships and part of the same Japan-based destroyer squadron. The Seventh Fleet has six ships assigned to BMD patrols, with half on patrol at any time.

The accidents come at a tense time. The USS John S McCain carried out a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea this month, coming within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China. The operation was the latest to counter what the US sees as China's efforts to control the waters. China denounced it. REUTERS

READ MORE: Another US warship collision in Asian waters