By Shane Mann*
The nexus between Navy and merchant shipping is a primary focus for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Maritime Trade Operations Team 1 (MTOT1). This nexus could not be more starkly highlighted than by the collision between the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain and the oil tanker MV Alnic MC in the busy Singapore Straits on 21 August 2017, with the potential loss of 10 crew and five injured.
