US navy commanding officers whose vessels were involved in two fatal collisions with merchant vessels last year are to be charged.

The Financial Times cited a navy statement as saying the men face court-martial proceedings.

The commanding officer of the USS John S McCain could be charged with negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and hazarding a vessel.

The destroyer was in collision with Stealth Maritime’s 50,800-dwt tanker Alnic MC (built 2008) off Singapore in August, killing 10 US sailors.

And the commanding officer and three other senior personnel from the USS Fitzgerald could face the same charges over a clash with an NYK boxship, the 2,858-teu boxship ACX Crystal (built 2008), off Japan in June.

Seven US sailors died in that incident.