US Navy halts all operations worldwide to investigate warship collision near Singapore

The US Navy has announced that the world’s largest and most powerful armada will immediately pause all operations for a fleet-wide safety review following the predawn collision of a guided-missile destroyer and an oil tanker that left 10 sailors missing near Singapore, the fourth naval accident in the Pacific this year.

Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson announced the rare global “operational pause” in a video posted to social media Monday. He did not say how long it would last.

He also ordered a comprehensive review into causes of the recent accidents, saying “more forceful action” is needed to determine why trained crews on US warships carrying radars and other hi-tech sensors failed to avoid collisions while underway.

“I have directed fleet commanders to immediately conduct an operational pause with commands and leaders across the fleet, to ensure we are taking all appropriate immediate measures to enhance the Navy’s safe and effective operation around the world,” Richardson said.

The orders come as tensions with North Korea again notched upward. Thousands of US and South Korean troops began 10 days of joint drills Monday, and Pyongyang warned it could lead “into the uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war.” US warships in the western Pacific are critical to South Korea’s defence.