Alwaght- Frantic efforts continued Monday evening for 10 US navy sailors missing after the USS John S. McCain collided with a civilian oil tanker near Singapore.
Five sailors were injured in this incident which is the second collision involving a US Navy warship and civilian vessel in Asian waters since June.
The Japan-based guided-missile destroyer was traveling to Singapore when it collided with the Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Alnic MC. The warship’s hull suffered “significant damage” that resulted in flooding in the crew berthing, machinery and communications rooms.
The collision happened east of the Strait of Malacca, which is the shortest sea route between India and China and one of the world’s busiest shipping channels.
Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen confirmed the collision in a Facebook post, which he said happened in Singapore's territorial waters.
The McCain is the second US guided-missile destroyer to be involved in a collision in two months. In June, the USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippines container ship off the coast of Japan, killing seven navy sailors. The two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on the Fitzgerald were removed after the incident.
The USS Fitzgerald and USS John S McCain are both ballistic missile defense (BMD) capable warships and part of the same Japan-based destroyer squadron.
The US Navy has ordered a probe into the practices of its Pacific-based Seventh Fleet after a fatal collision involving the USS John S McCain and an oil tanker near Singapore.
The increased presence of US Navy warships in Asia especially at waters bordering China is viewed as destabilizing and threat to peace and stability in the region. Washington is using its naval power to extend it hegemony in Asia and challenge China’s influence while igniting conflicts among regional nations.
