Singapore manages response to sinking Malaysia-registered tanker

All eight crew of the sunken Malaysia-registered tanker Silver Sincere were rescued in Singapore territorial waters off Pedra Branca. The master of the vessel had evacuated all the crew from the sinking vessel, which reported that it was taking in water, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The authority said all eight crew have been safely recovered from the vessel’s liferafts by Indonesia-registered freighter, Intan Daya 368, which was directed by MPA to render assistance.

“The master of the vessel had evacuated all the crew from the sinking vessel. All crew are in healthy condition and will be disembarked at Batu Ampar, Indonesia,” it said in a statement.

At the time of the incident, the vessel was reported to be taking in water.

The authority, which was alerted to a distress call from the vessel at about 3:40pm (Singapore time), had also deployed its craft, together with craft from the Republic of Singapore Navy, and the Singapore Police Coast Guard as part of the search and rescue efforts.

“The search and rescue phase coordinated by MPA has been completed,” it said.

The MPA has also activated salvage tugs for the vessel recovery phase. As a precaution, oil spill response craft have been deployed as well.

The authority is broadcasting a navigational safety advisory for passing vessels to stay clear of the incident site. Navigational traffic in the Singapore Strait is not affected.