SINGAPORE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Singaporean government said on Monday it was leading the search and rescue operations after the collision between U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain and Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC in Singapore Waters.
Relevant Singapore agencies are rendering all possible assistance, it said, adding that the country's Air Forces have sent helicopters to transfer the injured from the destroyer to Singapore for medical attention.
Meanwhile, Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) has sent three tugboats and Singapore's Navy and Police Coast Guard have also deployed a total of four vessels on the scene to render assistance.
The government said both the warship and the merchant vessel are on their way to Singapore to assess their damage. There is no report of oil pollution and traffic in the Singapore Strait is unaffected. The MPA is investigating the incident.
According to the Singaporean government, the MPA was notified of the collision in Singapore territorial waters in the Singapore Strait at around 5:30 local time on Monday. The U.S. warship sustained damage to her port side and requested for tug assistance, and the merchant vessel, which is a tanker, sustained damage to her Fore Peak Tank 7m above the waterline, with no crew injuries.
The U.S. Navy previously said 10 crew on the destroyer were unaccounted for and five others injured.
