News | U.S. Destroyer Collides With Oil Tanker In South China Sea

Royal Malaysian Navy / Twitter

Another Collision.

On August 21st, 2017, U.S. Navy destroyer USS John. S. McCain was struck on its port (left) side by a massive oil tanker near the coast of Singapore. As of now, 5 sailors were reported to have injuries while 10 others are missing. 4 out of the 5 injured had to be evacuated to nearby hospitals though their injuries were described as “non-life threatening.” No casualties were reported on the tanker.

As of 7:00 A.M. local time, authorities from Singapore as well as their Navy were assisting in the search for the missing sailors, utilizing everything from tugboats to helicopters. USS America is also on the way to assist with the search and rescue.

This incident occurred just weeks after USS Fitzgerald was also struck by a cargo ship, killing 7 crew. The sailors responsible were just sentenced. Read the full story here.

The vessel which struck the destroyer was a 30,000-ton tanker which is 600 feet long and 105 feet wide. It’s owned by Energetic Tank Inc. and sails under a Liberian flag. (See picture below.)

USS John S. McCain is now heading back to port under her own power after the damage was assessed and contained. The Navy will conduct a full investigation into the accident.