Barge that ran aground off Sentosa's Tanjong Beach safely towed away; floating barriers damaged

SINGAPORE: A container barge, Marco Polo 802, ran aground off Tanjong Beach in Sentosa on Friday (Jun 6) morning, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The barge was subsequently towed away safely to an anchorage for follow-up inspection and investigation, MPA said in an update at around 12.40pm.

It added that a portion of the floating security barriers off Sentosa was damaged in the incident, and that the Police Coast Guard will assess the damage and do the necessary repairs.

The coast guard has also concurrently increased patrols in the vicinity.

MPA earlier said there were no reports of damage, injuries or pollution, and that navigational safety was not impacted.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Sentosa said that there were no oil spillage sightings.

MPA activated tugboats to tow the barge, which remained stable, out to sea.

At 10.45am, CNA saw that the barge had been moved a distance away from the shore.

Tugboats were also seen pulling another tugboat that was stuck in a floating sea barrier, near where the barge had been grounded.

A video posted on Facebook by tour agency Kayakasia at about 7.30am on Friday shows the barge grounded just off Tanjong Beach.

The beach remained open to the public during the grounding.

"MPA and Sentosa Development Corporation are working with the relevant agencies to ensure minimal disruption," said MPA, adding that it is investigating the incident.

"DOESN'T HAPPEN VERY OFTEN"

A passer-by, who requested to be anonymous, told CNA that he was running along the beach at around 8.30am when he noticed the container barge looked "out of position". 

"It was a lot closer than usual. The (barges) are normally a bit further out," said the man, who runs at Tanjong Beach four times a week.

As he got closer, he said it was "clear" that the barge had broken through the floating sea barriers and was touching the rocks by the shoreline. 

"It wasn't moving, it was (just) there ... The boats at that point weren't pulling it away. It was kind of stuck there," the runner added. 

There were about four to five others at the spot, predominantly in yellow coats, he recalled.

He also saw a group of cars belonging to the Sentosa Rangers and police boats that appeared to be on the way to fix the barge.

The man told CNA that he was concerned what the barge being close to the shore would mean "environmentally", referencing major oil spills that had affected Sentosa and other beaches.

When CNA reached the beach close to 11am, the barge had already been towed away and the area where it was located had been cordoned off. 

An onlooker, Mr Joe Tham, said he received news about the barge at around 9am from a WhatsApp group with fellow kayakers.

The property agent had a camera slinged around his neck when approached by CNA. He said he does photography and had hoped to capture the barge, but did not manage to catch it in time.

The 54-year-old added that he visits the beach regularly for kayaking sessions with his friends. "It's interesting because this doesn't happen very often," he said.

He suspected that the barge may have lost power and was washed away towards the beach by the strong current.

Apart from Mr Tham, a handful of other curious onlookers stopped by the spot that was cordoned off, but left shortly after.

As for other beachgoers, it was business as usual as they went on with their water and volleyball games. 

CNA has contacted MPA for more information on the incident.