No Sign of 14 Barge Crewmen Missing off Singapore
There is still no trace of 14 people that have been missing since their sand-carrier barge capsized in Singapore waters on May 20, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reports.
At around 10 am local time May 20, the MPA received a report that a Bolivian-registered sand-carrier, Oceanline SC208, had capsized 7.5 nautical miles north-east of Pedra Branca in Singapore waters.
According to the vessel’s agent, there were 15 crew members onboard at the time of the incident. A Chinese national was reportedly rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Fourteen crew members are still unaccounted for: one Malaysian and thirteen Chinese nationals.
The barge drifted into Malaysian waters overnight, and was towed to sheltered waters in Malaysia yesterday morning.
Vessels from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Singapore Police Coast Guard are continuing the search and rescue operations (SAR) in Singapore waters.
Navigational broadcasts on the SAR operations are ongoing. MPA is also contacting transiting merchant vessels to keep a lookout for missing persons and to report any sightings to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Singapore
MPA is investigating the incident.
