A search and rescue operation is under way for 10 US sailors after a US warship and an oil tanker collided off the coast of Singapore on Monday morning (Aug 21). The guided-missile destroyer USS John S McCain collided with merchant vessel Alnic MC east of Singapore at around 5.30am. The warship was heading to Singapore for a routine port call, the US Navy said in a statement. Five US sailors were injured in the collision - four were evacuated by helicopter to the Singapore General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while the fifth did not need further medical attention, the statement said. The USS John S McCain is seen after a collision in Singapore waters on Aug 21, 2017. (Photo: Reuters/Ahmad Masood) No crew members on the oil tanker were injured, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen confirmed the collision in a Facebook post, which he said happened in Singapore's territorial waters. The MPA is leading the search and rescue operation, Dr Ng said, adding that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has also been mobilised after it responded to the US Navy's request for assistance from the Republic of Singapore Navy. "From the SAF, two Patrol Vessels, RSS Gallant and RSS Resilience; one Frigate, RSS Intrepid; two Super Pumas and one Chinook helicopter are assisting in the efforts. RSN's RSS Resilience is currently escorting USS John S McCain back to Changi Naval Base," he said. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, said his thoughts are with the families of those missing and injured in the incident, which he said occurred in Singapore waters. SECOND US WARSHIP COLLISION IN TWO MONTHS 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 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 of those out on patrol at any one time. Asked whether the US Navy would need to bring forward other ships to maintain its strength, a spokesman for the Seventh Fleet said it was "way too early to know". The US warship in Monday's incident was commissioned in 1994 and named after US Republican Senator John McCain's father and grandfather, John S McCain Jr and Sr. Both men were highly decorated naval officers who played prolific roles during World War II. "Cindy & I are keeping America's sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight - appreciate the work of search & rescue crews," Senator McCain said on Twitter.
