The US National Transportation Safety Board has blamed the 2017 collision between a Navy destroyer and a Stealth Maritime tanker on a lack of oversight and training, while mostly exonerating the tanker's crew.
On 21 August, 2017, the USS John S McCain lost steering in the Singapore Strait, colliding with the 50,800-dwt Alnic MC (built 2008), killing 10 servicemen and injuring 48 others.
In a report released Monday, the US government board said control for propulsion and steering were transferred around the ship, causing the John S McCain to lose control.
It said the crew were tired, unfamiliar with the steering system, that the Navy provided them with inadequate operating procedures and that there was nothing the crew of the Alnic MC could have done to prevent the collision.
"[The board] determines that the probable cause of the collision between the destroyer John S McCain and the tanker Alnic MC was a lack of effective operational oversight of the destroyer by the US Navy, which resulted in insufficient training and inadequate bridge operating procedures," the report read.
The National Transportation Safety Board's findings were similar to that of Singapore's Transportation Safety Investigation Bureau, which found in March 2018 that crew did not have a process for transferring steering and control.
The Singaporean investigation, however, said the actions the Alnic MC took to avoid the crash were insufficient and that the bridge was not manned in accordance with Stealth's safety management system.
The National Transportation Safety Board, however, found additional watchstanders would not have prevented the crash.
"The Alnic MC master could not have reasonably determined that his vessel was in extremis before it was too late to manoeuvre the tanker to avoid the accident," the report read.
In addition to the casualties, the John S McCain suffered $100m in damage, while the Alnic MC suffered $225,000. No one on the tanker was injured.
In the wake of the crash, the Navy had said the crash was "preventable." It blamed the "poor judgment" of commanding officer Commander Alfredo J Sanchez and the "poor leadership" of executive officer Commander Jessie L Sanchez.
Both were relieved of their duties and were court-martialled.
Since the crash, Stealth has increased its oversight of its managed ships and reviewed its safety management system.
