What we know about the latest US Navy collision near Singapore

— -- The USS John S. McCain, a Navy guided-missile destroyer, collided with a commercial vessel east of Singapore early Monday morning, and 10 sailors remain missing following the incident, according to officials.

Here's what we know about the collision and the missing sailors:

'Significant' damage to McCain's hull during collision

The ship had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom-of-navigation operation near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea, according to the Navy.

Stealth Maritime Corporation said in a statement that its tanker vessel, the Alnic MC, collided with USS John S. McCain off the coast of Singapore around 5:20 a.m. local time.

Reports of the damage from the two ships seem to indicate that they were crossing paths, or at least attempting to move in different directions, at the time of the collision.

The McCain's hull received significant damage as a result of the accident, according to the Navy. That damage can be seen in photos that show what looks like a wide cave along the side of the ship, where the collision took place.

Stealth Maritime Corporation said the Alnic MC sustained "damage to her Fore Peak Tank," an area located in the lower front of the ship.

The McCain saw the worst of the damage.

Following the collision, adjacent compartments on the McCain, including crew berths, machinery and communications rooms, flooded, according to the Navy, who added that a damage control response prevented the situation from becoming more serious.

Andrew Leahy, spokesman for Stealth Maritime Corporation, told ABC News that the “the damage to [Alnic MC] is actually relatively minimal.”

Search for missing sailors is underway

Ten sailors are missing and five were injured as a result of the collision, according to the Navy.

Four of the five have been airlifted to a hospital in Singapore, but their injuries are not considered to be life-threatening. The fifth sailor did not require additional treatment than what was administered on the scene.

But the matter of the missing sailors remains an urgent issue.

Presently, ships from multiple countries are searching for them.

President Trump tweeted that his "thoughts and prayers" are with the McCain's sailors.

Several politicians on both sides of the aisle echoed the president's sentiment, including Sen. John McCain. The ship is named for his grandfather, John Sidney McCain Sr., and his father, John Sidney McCain Jr.

"Cindy and I are keeping America's sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight - appreciate the work of search & rescue crews," McCain wrote in a tweet.

Call for an operational pause

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is traveling in Jordan, said that an investigation into the incident is underway.

John Richardson, the Navy’s top admiral, is calling for an operational pause in the region and “a deeper look into how we train and certify forces operating in and around Japan.”

"We’ll examine the process in which we train and certify our forces that are deployed in Japan to make sure we’re doing all we can to make them ready for operations and war fighting," Richardson told reporters. "This will include, but not be limited to, looking at operational tempo, trends in personnel, material, maintenance and equipment.It will also include a review of how we train and certify our service warfare community, including tactical and navigational proficiency."

This particular collision is hardly an isolated incident for the Navy.

It comes only two months after the USS Fitzgerald's collision with a Philippine container ship in the middle of the night off the coast of Japan. Seven U.S. sailors lost their lives in that collision, and last week the Navy relieved the USS Fitzgerald's commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted sailor for mistakes that led to the crash.

The USS Lake Champlain, a guided missile cruiser, collided with a fishing boat in the Sea of Japan in May. There were no injuries during that incident. The Navy ship tried to alert the fishing boat before the collision, but it was too late.

The USS Antietam, also a guided-missile cruiser, ran aground off the coast of Japan in February, damaging its propellers and spilling oil into the water.

The USS John S. McCain is currently berthed at Singapore’s eastern anchorage for inspections, according to Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority.

ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman, Luis Martinez, and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.