Five Missing in Collision off Singapore

Five seafarers are mising following a collision between a 30,747 dwt tanker Kartika Segara and a Dominican-registered dredger JBB De Rong 19 in Singapore territorial waters.

After the ships collided at about 12.40 am Singapore time on September 13, while they were some 1.7 nautical miles south-west of Sisters Island, the dredger capsized and “is currently partially submerged,” the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) informed.

A total of 12 crew, consisting of 11 Chinese nationals and one Malaysian, were onboard the dredger at the time of the incident.

Singapore Police Coast Guard (PCG) rescued seven of the Chinese nationals, who were then transferred to the Singapore General Hospital for medical treatment, while the other five crew members remain unaccounted for.

The Indonesian-registered Kartika Segara reported damage to its starboard bow. The vessel is stable and anchored at the Eastern Anchorage, MPA said, adding that the ship’s 26 Indonesian crew did not sustain any injuries.

The incident happened while the dredger was transiting the westbound lane and the tanker was departing Singapore and joining the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait.

A search and rescue operations was launched for the missing seafarers, while two MPA tug boats moved the partially submerged dredger to an area near Pulau Senang for a follow up underwater search.

MPA, which launched an investigation into the incident, has deployed three patrol craft to assist and the Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and PCG have also deployed a total of seven vessels on scene to support the operation.

There is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait, MPA said.