US nuclear submarine accident sparks safety fears in South China Sea
- Busy waterway’s complex underwater terrain and shipping litter make it a challenging environment for the giant vessels
- Collision has also highlighted the difficulties in safely disposing of the reactors from decommissioned subs, with no agreed guidelines, experts say
Defence experts have warned that nuclear submarines – among the world’s deadliest weapons – are also vulnerable in the event of an underwater accident causing a nuclear leak, regardless of whether they are general-purpose attack subs (SSN) or platforms for the launch of ballistic missiles (SSBN).
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US submarine strikes unknown underwater object in disputed South China Sea
“Possessing nuclear subs may represent a country’s defensive and offensive capabilities, but a lack of mandatory rules to push all countries to stick to them is still a big problem,” Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie said.
“None of the countries in the world – even superpowers like the United States, Russia, China and some experienced and developed Western countries – have come up with operational guidelines for their peers to follow when they need to solve problems in the aftermath of accidents involving nuclear subs.”
According to a US Navy report released on Sunday, the USS Connecticut – a Seawolf class SSN – collided with an unknown object in the South China Sea on October 2, injuring 11 sailors on board. The report said the submarine’s nuclear propulsion system was not affected and it was able to return to the Guam naval base for follow-up checks.
The accident was not announced until six days after the collision and no further details were provided, including the extent of the damage, what kind of object the sub had collided with, or the specific location of the accident.