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Ten missing and 5 injured in collision between oil tanker and US navy ship

FOR the second time in two months, a guided missile destroyer from the US Navy's 7th Fleet in the Pacific has been involved in a collision with a cargo vessel in Asian waters. Vessels from several countries are searching Southeast Asian waters for 10 missing US sailors.

Another five US sailors were also reported to have been injured in the collision between the USS John S McCain and the Liberian-flagged oil/chemical tanker Alnic MC east of Singapore on Monday.

The collision was reported at 6:24 am local time as the vessels were east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca.

According to the 7th Fleet, the John S McCain was transiting to a routine port visit in Singapore when the collision occurred.

The vessel, which is 505 feet long and weighs less than 9,000 tonnes with a full crew, sustained damage to her port side aft upon colliding with the 600 foot long, 30,000 gross tonne, double-hulled tanker, which is owned by Marshall Islands-headquartered Energetic Tank Inc and operated by Greece-based shipping company Stealth Maritime Corp SA, according to American Shipper.

No injuries or spillage have been reported on board the nine-year-old tanker, which like the Navy vessel, was headed to Singapore.

It was just in mid-June that seven US sailors were killed and three others severely injured after the ACX Crystal, a containership chartered by Japanese ocean carrier NYK Line, collided with US Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald in the Philippine Sea.

An investigation by the 7th Fleet later found that the collision was avoidable and that both ships "demonstrated poor seamanship." Subsequently, the Fitzgerald's commanding officer, executive officer and command master chief were relieved of their duties, as were several junior officers.

Meanwhile, two general cargo ships collided near Pingtan, Fujian in China over the weekend, with one vessel sinking and six crew members remaining missing, American Shipper reported citing maritime news outlet Splash 24/7 of Singapore.

The vessel Xin Dong Yuan sank after the collision, while the An Da Sheng remained afloat. The Fujian Maritime Rescue Centre coordinated search and rescue operations, finding three bodies and rescuing four crew members.

The organisation has also deployed an oil response team to clean up minor oil spills, according to Splash 24/7.

Xing Dong Yuan is operated by Wuhan Chenguang Shipping while An Da Sheng is operated by Cangzhou Bohai Anda Shipping.