Two bodies have been recovered to date out of the five missing crew of JBB DE RONG 19, following collision with the Indonesian-registered tanker KARTIKA SEGARA, in Singapore territorial waters, on 13 September 2017, MPA Singapore informed.
The incident took place in the westbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait. Following collision, the Dominican-registered dredger JBB DE RONG 19 capsized and is currently partially submerged.
At the time of the incident, JBB DE RONG 19 was carrying 12 crew members onboard. Seven were sent to the Singapore General Hospital, out of whom five have since been discharged, while search and rescue (SAR) efforts are underway for the three remaining crewmen.
The tanker reported damage to her starboard bow, but is stable and anchored at the Eastern Anchorage. Its 26 Indonesian crew did not sustain any injuries.
As MPA informed, prior to the collision, Singapore’s Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) had provided timely navigational information and warnings to both vessels to take preventive actions to avoid a collision, however it was not averted.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore with support from relevant Singapore agencies is leading rescue operations, involving about 200 personnel. MPA has also notified the Indonesian Rescue Coordination Centre about the incident and they have deployed five vessels to assist with SAR in Indonesian territorial waters.
“MPA expresses our deepest condolences to the families of the two deceased and wish those injured a speedy recovery. We will continue with our search and rescue efforts to find the remaining three missing crew members,” said Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA.
There have been no reports of oil spill or disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.
