MPA Singapore held its annual ferry rescue exercise (FEREX), to test Singapore’s operational readiness in the event of a ferry mishap.
Nine vessels, a helicopter and more than 200 personnel from various agencies and private sector partners were deployed for the seaward exercise off the western coast of Sentosa and landward exercise at HarbourFront Passenger Ferry Terminal (HFPT).
Exercise scenario
The exercise scenario was based on a collision between a ferry by Batam Fast Ferry and a harbour craft which resulted in a main engine failure and ingress of water onboard the ferry due to hull damage.
This led to a precarious situation that necessitated an immediate evacuation of the passengers on board the “stricken” ferry. The captain of the ferry sent out a distress call requesting for immediate help from MPA and initiated onboard evacuation procedures.
Seaward rescue operations
MPA’s Ferry Mishap Contingency Plan was activated to test the agencies’ operational readiness to the incident and various seaward resources were deployed to secure the area of operations and evacuate the passengers.
Developed in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Agency and Penguin Shipyard International, MPA Guardian is a hybrid diesel-electric patrol craft that is equipped with a comprehensive suite of capabilities which allows specialised rescue operations.
To demonstrate the rescue capabilities of MPA’s newest patrol craft, rescued passengers were transferred onto MPA Guardian to receive simulated medical attention in the vessel’s First Aid Room.
MPA Guardian is equipped with a command operations room to manage rescue operations, a Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boat that can be deployed within 10 minutes to conduct shallow water rescue missions, and a 10-metre wide deck that is able to facilitate drone and heli evacuation operations.
To demonstrate MPA Guardian’s heli evacuation capabilities and crew readiness, RSAF deployed their H225M helicopter to heli winch a “critically injured” dummy passenger from the vessel.
This year’s exercise also saw the deployment of unmanned aerial drones from MPA’s patrol crafts for aerial surveillance and remote monitoring with “live” feed to MPA Guardian’s command operations room to enhance situational awareness and incident management response.
Capt Daknash Ganasen, Senior Director of Operations and Marine Services, MPA, said:
With the resumption of regional ferry services that have been disrupted by COVID-19, it is important for us to resume both the seaward and landward rescue components of the exercise to test and enhance the operational readiness and contingency preparedness of government agencies and private sector partners in dealing with such mishaps