Crew member injured after 'unauthorised boarding' of tanker outside Singapore waters
A photo of BASSET, a Singapore-registered chemical tanker. (Photo: VesselFinder)
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SINGAPORE: A Singapore-registered chemical tanker was boarded without authorisation in the Singapore Strait on Friday (Feb 28) morning, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a media release.
The vessel, Basset, was boarded at about 7am outside Singapore's territorial waters in the Singapore Strait - the body of water between Singapore and the Indonesian island of Batam.
A crew member was injured during the incident. MPA did not provide further details of the nature of the boarding.
There are no Singaporean crew members on board, and all crew have been accounted for.
In response to queries from CNA, the police said its coast guard boarded the tanker at about 8.20am after it entered Singapore Territorial Waters and performed a sweep to ensure that no perpetrators remained onboard, "to ensure the safety of the crew".
It said that it was alerted to the incident at about 7am and that the unauthorised boarding occurred at about 6.50am -Â in the Singapore Strait, approximately 2 nautical miles outside Singapore Territorial Waters.
The tanker is now anchored in Singapore waters, and the Singapore Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force have been deployed to assist.
In response to CNA's query, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance from a vessel in the Singapore Strait, outside of Singapore Territorial Waters at about 7.10am.
Two marine firefighting and rescue vessels were dispatched from the West Coast Marine Fire Station to the location, said SCDF.
The injured crew member - a 29-year-old Indian national - was then taken conscious to National University Hospital.Â
According to VesselFinder, the BASSET is a chemical tanker that was built in 2019 and sails under the Singapore flag. The chemical tanker has a length of 183m and a width of 32m.
MPA said it is issuing safety broadcasts to advise vessels in the area to remain vigilant.
Navigation safety in the Singapore Strait remains unaffected, according to MPA.
Police investigations are ongoing.
