SINGAPORE: Ten sailors are 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. The collision between the guided-missile destroyer USS John S McCain and the tanker Alnic MC was the second involving a US Navy destroyer and a merchant vessels in Asian waters in little more than two months.
The ships collided while the US 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,” the Navy said. “There are currently 10 sailors missing and five injured.”
The destroyer had made its way to Singapore’s Changi Naval Base by Monday afternoon under its own power.
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 other large vessels are extremely 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 6 metres wide in the John S McCain’s port side.
The US Navy later said 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.
TERRITORIAL DISPUTE: A crew member on the Alnic MC said by telephone 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 the vessel was moving to safe anchorage for assessment. Reuters later saw the Alnic MC anchored off Singapore.
Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said no injuries were reported on the Alnic, which suffered some damage above the waterline.
“There is no report of oil pollution and traffic in the Singapore Strait is unaffected,” the MPA said, adding that the collision happened in Singaporean territorial waters.
However, the Malaysian navy said the collision happened in Malaysian waters and 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. — Reuters
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