Port Operations Control Centre News

Djibouti-registered tanker YOUNG YONG ran aground off Takong Kecil in the Riau Islands,  Indonesia in the Singapore Strait at around 2020h on 26 October, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said Monday. The master of the tanker informed the MCA of the grounding.According to MPA. before the grounding, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) issued early shallow water warnings through its Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) to the tanker on the potential risk of its  grounding. MPA also said it had alerted the Indonesian authorities immediately after the incident happened.Credit: MarineTraffic.com "The Indonesian authorities are leading refloatation efforts for the  tanker…

Niam Chiang Meng, Chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), opened a new 24/7 Maritime Cybersecurity Operations Centre (MSOC) yesterday (May 16). The MSOC will be operated by ST Engineering in its Hub.According to a press release from MPA, MSOC will conduct 24/7 monitoring and correlate data activities across all maritime Critical Information Infrastructure (CII). It will have the capability to (a) detect and monitor cyber-attacks by analysing activities in the IT environment; (b) detect anomalies and threats; and (c) respond to the cybersecurity incidents using available technology solutions.The objective of MSOC is to strengthen Singapore’s maritime cybersecurity posture through early detection…

Malaysia government (Marine Department Malaysia) vessel Polaris and Greece-registered bulk carrier Pireas collided in territorial waters within Singapore port limits off Tuas on Feb 9, 2019.Pireas was on its way from Singapore to its next port of call at Tanjung Pelepas when the collision took place.After refuelling at Singapore’s eastern bunkering anchorage south of Bedok, Pireas declared to Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) that its next port of call was to be Tanjung Pelepas. At 1355 hrs, Pireas entered Singapore Port Limits off Tuas (“the area”). It then slowed down, changed direction and collided with Polaris.Upon establishing contact with Pireas, MPA Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) instructed Pireas to stay clear of the area.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) conducted a multi-agency Joint Oil Spill Exercise (JOSE) yesterday (Friday) to test its abilities to respond to oil spills at sea. A mock collision and oil spill was staged in Singapore waters near Pulau Semakau in a response exercise.More than 250 personnel from 26 agencies participated in JOSE 2018 (please see Annex A for list of agencies), which comprised a table-top exercise at the MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre. During the exercise, agencies deliberated on operational and policy measures to deal with a major oil spill in Singapore waters, and a seaward deployment exercise scenario near Raffles reserved anchorage.The seaward deployment exercise scenario involved a simulated collision between two tanker vessels…

The fifth run of the MPA Academy Port Management Programme (PMP), aimed at port masters, harbour masters and middle managers from maritime and port authorities, kicked off today with a record 20 maritime officials from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Oceania. Developed and organised by MPA Academy, the five-day programme will be delivered by practitioners from the industry as well as senior officers from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Some of the key subjects that will be covered during the programme include safety, port planning and security. This year, the programme will include a new topic on digitalisation to address the increasing adoption of automation and technologies in the maritime industry.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA Japan) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), in cooperation with the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC), jointly launched the inaugural Capacity Building Executive Programme on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in Singapore. The Capacity Building Executive Programme—targeted at senior-level personnel with 10 to 15 years of experience and above in maritime enforcement—will see ReCAAP Contracting Parties from ASEAN (Cambodia, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), together with representatives from Indonesia and Malaysia as dialogue partners, participate in a 10-day training held both in Singapore and Japan from September 27 to October 6, 2017.

The International Safety@Sea Conference was officially opened yesterday by Mr Niam Chiang Meng, Chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Organised by MPA as part of Safety@Sea Week, over 250 international maritime professionals convened to share best safety at sea practices. This year’s Safety@Sea week will also see the inaugural ‘Community of Practice’ (CoP) Forum which will be held on 23 August 2017. The CoP Forum is a collaborative platform for maritime administrations, Classification Societies, and non-government organisations to share knowledge and best practices on general maritime safety as well as collaborate on promoting safety at sea. For the inaugural forum, 40 participants will be discussing the topic of ferry safety.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and IBM today announced at the opening of the International Safety@Sea Conference that they have jointly completed the pilot trial of three modules under the MPA-IBM SAFER project, which will be rolled out progressively beginning September 2017. Project SAFER, derived from “Sense-making Analytics For maritime Event Recognition,” is a collaboration between MPA and IBM to develop and test new analytics-based technologies, aimed at improving maritime and port operations to support increasing Singapore’s growth in vessel traffic. Altogether, there are seven modules under Project SAFER which offer a host of new capabilities for automating and increasing the accuracy of critical tasks that previously relied on human observation…

To test and demonstrate Singapore’s readiness to tackle oil and chemical spills, a multi-agency joint chemical spill exercise was conducted on Friday. Organized by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) the exercise took place at the conclusion of the 10th International Chemical and Oil Pollution Conference & Exhibition (ICOPCE), held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2017. ChemSpill 2017 comprised a tabletop management exercise at MPA's Port Operations Control Centre Vista and a full scale chemical and oil spill response equipment deployment. A total of 150 personnel from 25 agencies participated in the table top exercise and seaward exercise, located along Raffles Reserved Anchorage.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) held a half-day emergency preparedness exercise, codenamed ‘FEREX 2016’ yesterday (September 02). The annual ferry exercise (FEREX) aims to test the readiness of various agencies to respond to ferry mishaps in the Port of Singapore. More than 450 personnel from 15 agencies and companies took part in this full deployment exercise which included deployment of resources at sea at the Western Anchorage for rescue operations, manning of emergency operations centre at MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre, and landing of casualties and rescued persons at Harbourfront Centre Terminal. The exercise was observed by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore says it was notified just before midnight yesterday (Aug 4) of a collision involving Dream II VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) and MSC Alexandra (Container Ship)  in the Singapore Strait, about 3 km South-East of Sebarok Island. Both are Panama-flagged vessels. Prior to the incident, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre provided traffic information and alerted the shipmasters of Dream II and MSC Alexandra of the risk of collision. Dream II sustained damage to her bow whilst MSC Alexandra sustained damages on her port quarter hull. Both vessels are in stable condition and safely anchored in Singapore. MSC Alexandra reported that 10 empty containers fell overboard during the incident, 4 onto the deck of Dream II and the rest into the water.

The Republic of Singapore Navy ( RSN) disrupted a sea robbery on a tugboat in the eastern approaches of the Singapore Strait, says Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). The sight of a warship from the RSN Maritime Security Task Force sent sea robbers who had boarded a tugboat in the Singapore Strait fleeing on Tuesday (Sep 1). The Malaysian-flagged tugboat Permata 1 was then escorted safely to Singapore waters by the RSS Resilience, a Fearless-class patrol vessel. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said that the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's Port Operations Control Centre had received a report from Permata 1, at about 9am. Those on the boat had sighted robbers boarding their barge while they were transiting the eastern approaches of the Singapore Strait, MINDEF added.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) held a half-day emergency preparedness exercise, codenamed 'FEREX 2015' August 21. The annual ferry exercise (FEREX) aims to test the readiness of various agencies to respond to ferry mishaps in the Port of Singapore. More than 350 personnel from 10 agencies and companies took part in this full deployment exercise which includes deployment of resources at sea at the Eastern Special Purposes A Anchorage for rescue operations, manning of emergency operations centre at the Port Operations Control Centre at PSA Vista…

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.

The Australian Port of Melbourne (PoMC) showed a strong balance sheet as it advances the Port Capacity Project and other port infrastructure, Minister for Ports David Hodgett announced before the State of Vicoria Parliament. PoMC recorded an overall profit after tax of $65.9 million for 2012-13 against the background of a small decline in overall trade of 1.6 per cent on the previous year. Detailing the full year trade results, Mr Hodgett explained that while total container volumes declined marginally from last year’s record peaks…

At about 6:10am on 25 May 2010, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) received a report that a Malaysian-registered tanker, MT Bunga Kelana 3 and a St Vincents and The Grenadines-registered bulk carrier, MV Waily had collided in the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait. The incident location is about 13 kilometres southeast of Changi East. Both vessels are currently anchored in the Singapore Strait. MV Waily is currently about 11 kilometres southeast of Changi East and MT Bunga Kelana 3 is about 7 kilometres south of Changi East. MPA's Port Operations Control Centre has issued navigational broadcasts to ships transiting the TSS to keep clear of the anchored vessels. Traffic in the TSS remains unaffected. There was no report of injury to crew members.

JOSE 2008 involved a scenario where a very large crude carrier (VLCC), ‘Moon Shadow’ (299,999 dwt), carrying 290,000 tons of light crude oil, was hit by an oil tanker MT (motor tanker), ‘Sun Explorer’ (8,722 dwt), carrying 7,700 tons of marine fuel oil. At that time, the VLCC was leaving the traffic separation scheme to discharge its cargo at Shell SBM. After the collision, the VLCC suffered severe damage to two of its cargo tanks containing 32,310 tons of crude each, while the oil tanker’s bow was damaged. The VLCC leaked around 8,000 tons of crude into the sea, causing potential threat to the environment. The ship master of the VLCC immediately reported the incident to MPA’s Marine Safety Control Centre and requested assistance. The first response craft arrived within 30 minutes.