The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is mourning the loss of Captain Kenneth Tay Xue Qin, who died on 16th May, while responding to a fire on the Chinese-flagged product tanker Sheng Hang Hua 6 at the port’s anchorage.
According to news, Captain Tay, a specialized marine firefighter with two years in the role and six years of service with the SCDF, was 30 years old.
The SCDF team arrived at the vessel around 1:15 a.m. and found smoke emanating from the engine room. All 19 crewmembers were safely accounted for.
Captain Tay and another firefighter were in the engine room, both equipped with personal protective gear. While the other firefighter was managing the water jet to fight the fire, Captain Tay was using a thermal imaging device to locate additional hot spots.
Captain Tay’s colleague noticed he was unresponsive and began searching for him. Captain Tay was found at the bottom of a staircase in the engine room. He was conscious when discovered, but soon lost consciousness. Despite immediate CPR efforts on deck and during transport to shore, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
SCDF is investigating the incident and reviewing body-worn camera footage, which indicates Captain Tay experienced difficulties. They mentioned he appeared “unwell” before being evacuated.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed the fire on the tanker has been extinguished, the vessel is stable, and no pollution has been reported. The tanker was not carrying a fuel cargo at the time.
