The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a media release that a Singapore-registered chemical tanker was boarded without authorisation in the Singapore Strait on Friday morning, February 28.
The vessel, Basset, was boarded at about 7 am outside Singapore’s territorial waters in the Singapore Strait, which separates the country from the Indonesian island of Batam.
During the incident, one crew member was injured. However, MPA did not elaborate on the specifics of the boarding.
According to report, every member of the crew has been identified, and there are no Singaporeans on board.
The police told CAN that after the tanker entered Singapore Territorial Waters, the coast guard boarded it at around 8.20 am “to ensure the safety of the crew” by conducting a sweep to make sure no criminals were still on board.
It stated that the unapproved boarding took place in the Singapore Strait, around two nautical miles outside of Singapore Territorial Waters, at around 6.50 am, and that it was notified of the event at around 7 am.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force and Singapore Police Coast Guard have been called in to help with the tanker, which is currently anchored in Singaporean seas.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to CNA’s inquiry by stating that at around 7.10 am, a vessel in the Singapore Strait, outside of Singapore Territorial Waters, called for assistance. According to SCDF, two marine firefighting and rescue boats were sent to the scene from the West Coast Marine Fire Station.
Then, the injured crew member, a 29-year-old Indian national, was taken conscious to National University Hospital.
The BASSET is a chemical tanker that was constructed in 2019 and is registered under the Singaporean flag, according to VesselFinder. The chemical tanker is 183 meters long and 32 meters wide.
According to MPA, safety bulletins are being sent out to remind nearby vessels to exercise caution. MPA added that navigation safety in the Singapore Strait is unaffected. However, the investigations by the police are still ongoing.
