Rescue teams on Tuesday continued searching for the ten sailors that remain missing after a collision between the US destroyer USS John S. McCain and the merchant vessel Alnic MC on Monday in waters near the Strait of Malacca.

The search operation involves aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS America, along with coordination from local authorities, including ships and aircraft from the Malaysian and Singaporean Navies, the US 7th Fleet said in a statement.

The crash between the guided-missile destroyer and the merchant vessel, a 30,000-ton oil tanker sailing under Libyan flag, occurred early Monday morning.

The USS John S. McCain sustained significant hull damage, resulting in flooding of nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms, the statement added.

On Monday, USS Navy vessels around the world were ordered to observe a one-day pause in operations following Monday"s collision between the USS John McCain and an oil tanker in waters near Singapore, which left five sailors injured and 10 others missing.

The US Navy ship arrived Monday at Singapore's Changi Naval Base, where crew members began the task of pumping water out of the ship and restoring its auxiliary systems, in addition to assessing the damage in the hull by divers, the statement said.

The search for the missing sailors is centered on an area east of the Straits of Malacca, near the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca, whose waters are in dispute between Singapore and Malaysia.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Datuk Zulkifli Abu Bakar claimed Monday that the accident happened in Malaysian territorial waters and that it is his country that leads the search operation, according to the Malaysian The Star newspaper.