Strait Of Singapore News

Nearly 300 tonnes of oil spilled into the narrow strait separating Singapore and Malaysia after a collision between two container vessels, the Singapore Marine Port Authority (MPA) said on Wednesday. There were no reports of injuries and 12 anti-pollution craft had been sent to clean up the mid-sized oil spill, the MPA said in a statement. "Traffic in the East Johor Straits and Singapore's port operations remains unaffected", it said, adding that the spill had been contained off the western side of Singapore's Pulau Ubin island. The spill was caused by damage to the fuel tank of the container vessel APL Denver after a collsion with the WAN HAI 301 off Pasir Gudang Port in Johor, Malaysia late on Tuesday.

Pirates robbed a Thai tanker in Malaysian waters of some 2,000 tonnes of oil it was transporting from Singapore before planting a bomb on the vessel. According to a statement from Rear Admiral Somchai Na Bangchang, the chief of staff of Thailand's Third Naval Area Command all 15 crew members were unharmed but the bomb remained on board the tanker Lapin after the attack. Theekhathat Charoensuk the master of the tanker Lapin said six to eight pirates, believed to Indonesian, three armed with guns and the others carrying swords, stopped the vessel forced the crew to surrender. Another vessel was then brought alongside and the cargo siphoned off. Before leaving the vessel the pirates placed what appeared to be a homemade bomb on the bridge of the tanker.

An oil tanker and a bulk carrier collided off Singapore on Friday causing some crude oil spillage, the Maritime Port Authority said. A Libyan-registered oil tanker Alyarmouk collided with the Singapore-registered bulk carrier Sinar Kapuas about 11 nautical miles north-east of Pedra Branca, east of Singapore. There was no report of injury and traffic in the port and the Strait of Singapore was unaffected, the authority said in a statement. The charterer of the oil tanker and volume of spillage were not immediately clear, MPA said in a telephone call. According to Reuters' shiptracking tool, Alyarmouk was en route to Yangpu, China, while Sinar Kapuas's current position was not traceable. The two vessels are currently safely anchored and in stable condition.

Following the three collision incidents[1] resulting in oil spills which took place in the Singapore port waters and Singapore Strait between January 29 and February 10 early this year, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) conducted investigations to determine the causes of the incidents. MPA also formed a Safety Review Committee (SRC) to review the overall system of navigational safety in Singapore's port waters and Singapore Strait. Members comprised experts from MPA, Ministry of Transport, the local academia and shipping industry.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported two separate vessel collision incidents, both resulting in spills. The MPA said it received a report on January 29, at about 6:30 p.m. (Singapore Time) that the departing Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker Lime Galaxy had collided with the arriving China-flagged containership Feihe at about 2.7 km, south of Jurong Island. Feihe reported that one of her bunker tanks sustained damage, resulting in some spillage of bunker fuel. Upon notification, MPA immediately dispatched three patrol craft to deal with the spill. Oil spill response companies were also activated to support the cleanup efforts. At about 4:10 a.m.

Singapore's first Port Operations Control Room Centre (POCC) de-commissioned, as new upgraded centre takes over control. The decommissioning of the centre at at Tanjong Pagar Complex (POCC-TPC) marks the retirement of Singapore's first POCC after more than 28 years of faithful service in ensuring navigational safety of vessels in the Singapore Strait and Singapore's port waters. First commissioned on 1 May 1984, POCC-TPC initially used VHF radios to manage vessel traffic in Singapore until the first radar based Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) was installed in 1990.The VTIS allowed POCC officers to see the positions of vessels in real time on a screen and provide navigational assistance to these vessels.

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued an Incident Alert stating that a product tanker transiting the Strait of Singapore was attacked by pirates in five of six small boats. The tanker activated its security alarm and general alarm, engaged in evasive maneuvers, and shined bright lights on the attackers, who broke off after 30 minutes. (12/28/09). (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

According to a report from The Straits Times, pirates struck early on the morning of Nov. 10, robbing crew members of a Singapore-registered barge and an Indonesian-registered tugboat of cash and personal belongings. This is the fourth time since early September that the robbers, all believed to be from the same gang, have struck near and around the Batu Berhenti beacon along the Strait of Singapore under cover of night. (Source: The Straits Times)

The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issued a Press Release stating that the bulk carrier SEA LIBERTY and the container vessel ARABIAN EXPRESS collided in the Singapore Strait near Kusu Island. There were no injuries and damage to the vessels was moderate. Personnel are responding to a minor oil spill from the SEA LIBERTY. The MPA is investigating the incident. Source: HK Law

Fifteen ships and 1,500 personnel from 16 Asia-Pacific countries took part in exercises off Singapore on Tuesday with the aim of forging stronger ties to protect the region's vital sea lanes. The first Western Pacific Mine Countermeasure and Diving Exercises will continue until June 22 in the Strait of Singapore and the South China Sea. "The Malacca Strait, Singapore Strait and South China Sea together form one of the busiest shipping lanes in the region," Singapore's Defense Minister said. The defense minister said the drills would promote greater dialogue among the participating countries - Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.