At least 5 sailors missing after dredger collides with tanker in Singapore waters

Five crew members of a Dominican dredger are reported missing after the vessel collided with an Indonesian tanker in Singapore waters in the early hours of Wednesday (13 September).

The dredger that was transiting through the Singapore Strait capsized following the collision and was partially submerged, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement.

The collision took place at around 12.40am local time (5.40pm BST previous day) while "the dredger was transiting the westbound lane while the tanker was departing Singapore joining the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait", the statement read.

The capsized vessel was moved to a safe area near Pulau Senang with the help of two Singaporean tug boats.
Seven sailors of the dredger — all Chinese nationals — were rescued by the Singapore Police Coast Guard and transferred to the Singapore General Hospital for medical treatment, the statement added. The dredger had a total of 12 crewmen, of which one was Malaysian and the others were Chinese nationals.

None of the crew members of the Indonesian tanker sustained any injuries in the collision.

The tanker only reported damage to the starboard bow, "but is stable and anchored at the Eastern Anchorage", the port authority said. The tanker had 26 crew members on board.

A search and rescue operation has been initiated for the missing sailors from the dredger. Singapore Port authority is leading the search and the operation involves patrol ships and a Super Puma helicopter from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

"There is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait," the port authority said.