Divers have recovered two bodies belonging to the crew members of the Dominican-registered dredger Jbb de Rong 19 who went missing after the vessel collided with Indonesian-registered tanker Kartika Segara in Singapore territorial waters earlier today .
Following the collision, the dredger capsized and was last reported to be partially submerged.
There were 12 crew members onboard the dredger when the incident occurred. Seven were sent to the Singapore General Hospital, out of whom five have since been discharged. While three men remain unaccounted for.
Search and rescue efforts for the three remaining crew members are ongoing with the help from the Indonesian Rescue Coordination Centre, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) informed.
The Indonesian-registered Kartika Segara reported damage to its starboard bow. The vessel is stable and anchored at the Eastern Anchorage, MPA said, adding that the ship’s 26 Indonesian crew did not sustain any injuries.
“The incident took place in the westbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait. 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. While the vessels acknowledged the information provided by the Singapore VTIS, the collision was not averted,” MPA said.
As stressed, there have been no reports of oil spill or disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait.
MPA is investigating the incident.