The commander of the Seventh US Navy, vice-admiral Joseph Aucoin, was fired after two clashes involving US naval ships in Asian waters for less than three months, Reuters reported.

Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, relieved Aucoin of his position at the Yokosuka naval base in Japan, a spokesman for the US Navy said, adding that his deputy Rear Admiral Phil Sawyer took over the post. The decision to vacate Aucoin from office was taken "due to a loss of confidence in his command capabilities," the spokesman said. On Monday, an American squadron, armed with steerable missiles, ran into a commercial court in the Malacca East of Singapore, the fourth-largest US Pacific Navy accident this year.