On Monday, five sailors were injured after the US Navy destroyer John S. McCain collided with the Alnic MC near the Malacca straits.
Later that day, the US suspended operations worldwide after the collision.
In an interview with Sputnik, Russian military expert Oleg Ponomarenko pointed the finger at the crew of the US destroyer.
He said that "such things should not take place," describing the incident as "a clear violation of the duty rules."
"One should not rely only on technology; other aspects also matter, including those related to navigation equipment and special teams that must visually monitor the situation around a warship. I think that it is negligence that led to the collision," Ponomarenko said.
He added that "all the rules have been worked out for decades, everyone knows them and they must be adhered to."
Remains found after US destroyer collision https://t.co/j04GtPeSSL pic.twitter.com/h3CexLbDTA
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) 22 августа 2017 г.
He also said that "it's surprising that all this happens with the American fleet, which is considered a privileged type of armed forces."
As for the suspension of US Navy operations in connection with the incident, it will unlikely improve the situation, according to Ponomarenko.
"It seems to me that this measure is a little too late. The Monday collision is the second such incident in the past three months, which notably took place in the area of responsibility of the Pacific Fleet. There can be no excuses that, for example, the Monday incident occurred in the route where about 80,000 ships pass in a year," Ponomarenko concluded.
5 sailors injured, 10 missing after #USSJohnSMcCain collision with tanker off Singapore https://t.co/wcn1kHwfWS pic.twitter.com/08jG3tWkSp
— RT (@RT_com) 21 августа 2017 г.
After Monday's collision, four sailors were taken to local hospitals and the injury of the fifth sailor did not require hospital assistance.
The collision is the second by a US ship with a civilian vessel in the Seventh Fleet area of operations this summer.
#US destroyer collision: Incident worries America's allies in #Asia https://t.co/7AW3Gw1ImV pic.twitter.com/8VYNGiSTcV
— The Straits Times (@STcom) 23 августа 2017 г.
On Tuesday, US Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Scott Swift said at a briefing that the remains of US sailors have been found in the flooded compartments of the John S. McCain destroyer.
"The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during the search today. Additionally, the Malaysian Navy has reported that they have located potential remains," Adm. Scott Swift said.
