Barge grounded off Tanjong Beach in Sentosa towed away safely: MPA
SINGAPORE – A container barge grounded off Tanjong Beach in Sentosa on the morning of June 6 has been towed away safely to an anchorage for inspection and investigation.
A portion of the floating security barriers off Sentosa has been damaged, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in an update at around 12.35pm.
The Police Coast Guard will assess the damage and do repair work, and it has stepped up patrols in the vicinity.
In an earlier statement, MPA said there were no reports of injuries or pollution and that the barge, Marco Polo 802, remained stable.
'There is no impact to navigational safety,' said MPA, adding that the beach remains open to the public.
A post about the incident on the Sentosa Facebook page said there was no oil spillage.
Ms Kong Pei Ling, a kayak guide at eco-tour agency Kayakasia, said she saw the barge when she reached the beach at about 7.15am.
The barge was blocking the lagoon and had destroyed floating sea barriers, she added.
'We were getting ready to start our kayak trip around the coast of Sentosa but we couldn't launch because of the barge, so we left for Palawan Beach instead,' said Ms Kong.
A beachgoer who wanted to be known only as Melvin said: 'I thought that it was strange because this is not a place to unload containers.'
The 42-year-old, who was visiting the beach with his family, later realised that the barge was probably stuck.
According to the website of shipping company Maersk, Marco Polo 802 is an Indonesia-flagged vessel that was scheduled to reach a terminal in Singapore at 10am.
When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 10.30am, three vessels and a tugboat were seen pulling the barge away from the coast.
As at 11.30am, the barge was about 500m from the coastline but a tugboat appears to be entangled with the floating security barriers. At about 2pm, the tugboat, which is at about 100m from shore, is still stationary. Divers are seen collecting buoys which were a part of the barrier, and transporting them onboard vessels.
MPA is investigating the incident.
This is the latest maritime incident around Sentosa in recent months, following multiple oil spills.
On Feb 5, members of the public said they saw patches of oil off Sentosa waters following a diesel oil leak from the Police Coast Guard Brani Regional Base in southern Singapore.
Sentosa Development Corporation had said there were no oil sightings at the beaches, and deployed oil absorbent and deflective booms around Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches to safeguard the shores and marine environment.
In June 2024, three beaches - Palawan Beach, Tanjong Beach and Siloso Beach - were closed for about three months after a boat hit a vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal, resulting in the worst oil spill in Singapore in a decade.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction
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Barge grounded off Tanjong Beach in Sentosa towed away safely: MPA
SINGAPORE – A container barge grounded off Tanjong Beach in Sentosa on the morning of June 6 has been towed away safely to an anchorage for inspection and investigation. A portion of the floating security barriers off Sentosa has been damaged, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in an update at around 12.35pm. The Police Coast Guard will assess the damage and do repair work, and it has stepped up patrols in the vicinity. In an earlier statement, MPA said there were no reports of injuries or pollution and that the barge, Marco Polo 802, remained stable. 'There is no impact to navigational safety,' said MPA, adding that the beach remains open to the public. A post about the incident on the Sentosa Facebook page said there was no oil spillage. Ms Kong Pei Ling, a kayak guide at eco-tour agency Kayakasia, said she saw the barge when she reached the beach at about 7.15am. The barge was blocking the lagoon and had destroyed floating sea barriers, she added. 'We were getting ready to start our kayak trip around the coast of Sentosa but we couldn't launch because of the barge, so we left for Palawan Beach instead,' said Ms Kong. A beachgoer who wanted to be known only as Melvin said: 'I thought that it was strange because this is not a place to unload containers.' The 42-year-old, who was visiting the beach with his family, later realised that the barge was probably stuck. According to the website of shipping company Maersk, Marco Polo 802 is an Indonesia-flagged vessel that was scheduled to reach a terminal in Singapore at 10am. When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at about 10.30am, three vessels and a tugboat were seen pulling the barge away from the coast. As at 11.30am, the barge was about 500m from the coastline but a tugboat appears to be entangled with the floating security barriers. At about 2pm, the tugboat, which is at about 100m from shore, is still stationary. Divers are seen collecting buoys which were a part of the barrier, and transporting them onboard vessels. MPA is investigating the incident. This is the latest maritime incident around Sentosa in recent months, following multiple oil spills. On Feb 5, members of the public said they saw patches of oil off Sentosa waters following a diesel oil leak from the Police Coast Guard Brani Regional Base in southern Singapore. Sentosa Development Corporation had said there were no oil sightings at the beaches, and deployed oil absorbent and deflective booms around Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches to safeguard the shores and marine environment. In June 2024, three beaches - Palawan Beach, Tanjong Beach and Siloso Beach - were closed for about three months after a boat hit a vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal, resulting in the worst oil spill in Singapore in a decade. Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction Discover how to enjoy other premium articles here
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