Crew missing after Singapore Strait collision sinks general cargo freighter
Shipping traffic in the waterway remains undisrupted and there were no signs of any fuel leak
Six crew members are still missing after a general cargo freighter sank in the Singapore Strait following a collision with a chemical tanker.
The 10,385 deadweight tonne (dwt) cargo freighter Thorco Cloud, operated by Danish shipper Thorco Shipping and registered in Antigua and Barbuda, had a crew of 12.
Singapore’s Police Coast Guard, supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), rescued five of the crew members, while the chemical tanker picked up a sixth, the MPA said. The rescued seamen were sent to Singapore General Hospital for observation, it said.
Search and rescue operations continued for the six missing crew members, said an MPA spokesman in an update.
To ensure shipping safety, the MPA deployed a buoy tender and a hydrographic survey vessel to cordon off the area. So far there have been no shipping disruptions, the spokesman said.
The incident, which took place in Indonesian waters six nautical miles northwest of Batam on Wednesday evening, left the Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker Stolt Commitment with minor damage and in stable condition, said the MPA.