Fourteen Missing After Barge Capsizes in Singapore

The latest AIS position transmitted by Oceanline SC208 shows the vessel underway at 9.8 knots at 2015-05-19 12:27 GMT. Screengrab courtesy MarineTraffic.com

Fourteen people are missing after a barge capsized in Singapore waters on Wednesday.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore says the incident was reported at approximately 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. The report said that the Bolivian-registered sand carrier, Oceanline SC208, capsized about 7.5 nautical miles north-east of Pedra Branca, one of the easternmost islands in the waters off Singapore.

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, while fourteen crew members are still unaccounted for, the MPA reported. Those missing include one Malaysian and 13 Chinese crewmembers.

The search and rescue is being coordinated by Singapore and involves two vessels from the Republic of Singapore Navy, Singapore’s Police Coast Guard and several Malaysian vessels. MPA has also engaged salvage companies to conduct salvage operations. The MPA says that it dispatched two vessels immediately after receiving the report of the incident.

Navigational broadcasts have been issues to vessels in the vicinity to keep clear of the SAR area and to report any sightings of the missing persons, the MPA reported.

The incident is currently under investigation.

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