SINGAPORE — Three crew members were killed on Friday after a supply boat collided with a landing craft and sank off Pasir Panjang Terminal, authorities said, in one of the deadliest maritime incidents in Singaporean waters this year. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed the collision occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m., triggering a major search and rescue operation involving multiple agencies.
Singapore’s Police Coast Guard and the Singapore Civil Defence Force Marine Division were deployed alongside MPA vessels. Divers recovered the three victims — aged between 38 and 53 — from the waters near Pasir Panjang Wharf. All three were pronounced dead by an SCDF paramedic at the scene despite resuscitation efforts, officials said.
“Search and rescue efforts, including diving operations, will continue to ensure all crew members from the supply boat are accounted for,” MPA said in a statement. The landing craft involved in the collision remained stable, and its crew reported no injuries. Authorities immediately issued navigational broadcasts warning other vessels to keep clear of the area.
Port operations at Pasir Panjang Terminal, one of the world’s busiest container facilities, were not disrupted by the incident. The terminal handles a significant share of Southeast Asia’s transshipment traffic and operates around the clock. MPA said investigators had begun documenting the scene and interviewing surviving crew members.
The collision is the latest in a series of maritime incidents in and around Singapore’s busy port waters in recent months. On June 5, a Tanzania-registered container vessel sank off the Indonesian island of Batam after taking on water; all nine crew members were rescued. In March, a pleasure craft sank off Singapore’s Southern Islands, resulting in one death and a criminal arrest.
Authorities have not yet identified the nationalities of the victims or the operators of the two vessels involved. An investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing, and MPA said it is cooperating with the Police Coast Guard on the probe.