SAF ships and helicopter search for tugboat survivors

Two bodies found, nine men missing after Singapore-flagged vessel capsizes off Pedra Branca
Jermyn Chow, Straits Times 7 Jan 10;

A MASSIVE search and rescue mission involving the Singapore Navy and Air Force is under way off Pedra Branca, after one of the worst accidents in nearby waters in decades.

So far, two bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of a tugboat which capsized with 13 men on board about 45 nautical miles from Singapore early yesterday morning.

Two crewmen managed to clamber onto a life-raft after the incident, and were rescued several hours later by a commercial vessel which had been passing by.

The survivors were found about 16 nautical miles east of Pedra Branca.

Nine men are still missing, and two Singapore Navy (RSN) patrol vessels, the RSS Fearless and Brave, with 30 crewmen aboard each, a Super Puma helicopter, and three private ships are now combing a 250-sq-km area looking for them.

All 13 on board the stricken vessel are believed to be Indonesians.

The Ocean Lark, a Singapore-registered vessel, sank at about 5am yesterday, said its owner, Intone Private Limited, a subsidiary of global shipping firm Drydocks World South-east Asia which is based here.

Singapore was alerted to the incident after the two crewmen were found adrift.

Under international maritime law, the Republic is responsible for mounting rescue operations in the area should a vessel sink or be in danger, and search and rescue teams were immediately despatched.

Drydocks enterprise director Colin Simpson said the sunken vessel was carrying 12 crew members.

However, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said there was another person on board.

It is not known who he was, or what he was doing on the vessel.

The cause of the accident is also unknown.

Mr Simpson said the Ocean Lark was travelling from Batam to Tarempa Natuna in Indonesia's Riau archipelago when it capsized.

The 767-tonne tugboat was not towing any barges when it went under.

Neither Drydocks nor the MPA wanted to speculate on the cause of the incident.

But mariners contacted said that at this time of year, conditions can be treacherous, with choppy seas and adverse weather conditions fuelled by the north-east monsoon.

Meanwhile, an MPA spokesman said that Indonesian navy vessels were on the way to the accident site to help in search and rescue efforts.

She added that rescuers are using a computer modelling program that relies on wind and tidal information for clues as to where to locate wreckage and survivors.

The last major maritime accident in nearby waters occurred in 2003, when the RSN's patrol vessel RSS Courageous collided with a container vessel.

Four Navy personnel, all women, were killed in the incident.

Two RSN officers were later found guilty of negligence by a district court and were fined for causing the deaths of the four women.

Singapore-registered tugboat capsizes off Pedra Branca
Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia 6 Jan 10;

A search-and-rescue operation is now on for nine missing crew members of a Singapore-registered tugboat which had 13 crew on board.

The boat capsized off Pedra Branca on Wednesday at about 5am.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said two crew members were rescued at 9.50am by a passing Singapore supply vessel, about 16 nautical miles east of Horsburgh Lighthouse.

And on Wednesday evening, two bodies were recovered by divers from salvage company Posh Semco Pte Ltd.

MPA said the crew, all Indonesians, belonged to a Singapore-registered tugboat called 'Ocean Lark'.

The tugboat had left Batam, Indonesia and was headed to Matak, Indonesia, when the incident happened.

Singapore's Air Force and Navy have been roped in for the search efforts which are ongoing.

Assets deployed include a helicopter, a patrol vessel and three commercial vessels. - CNA/vm

9 sailors missing off Pedra Branca
Leong Wee Keat Today Online 7 Jan 10;

SINGAPORE - As nightfall descended yesterday in the South China Sea - and search and rescue operations continued - the fate of nine Indonesians missing at sea remained unknown at press time.

The group was on board the Singapore-flagged Ocean Lark when the offshore support vessel capsized off Pedra Branca at around 3.55am yesterday.

As at 11pm, divers recovered two bodies from the ship's wreck. The search was still in progress at press time.

The 767-tonne vessel, which was carrying 13 Indonesians, was travelling from Batam to Tarempa Natuna in Indonesia's Riau archipelago when the incident happened. Two crew members were rescued from a life-raft about six hours later by a passing Singapore-registered vessel, Pacific Protector.

The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) was informed at 9.50am yesterday.

A search and rescue operation by the MPA, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and commercial vessels was launched. Up to three commercial vessels, two RSN patrol vessels, an RSAF helicopter and an RSAF aircraft were involved in the search.

The MPA has also issued navigational broadcasts to vessels in the vicinity to assist with the search and rescue.

Indonesia's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre has also been informed, said the MPA.

Ocean Lark is owned and operated by Intone Private Limited, a subsidiary of Drydocks World South-east Asia. When Media­Corp visited the company's HarbourFront office yesterday evening, a company representative declined comment.

Instead, the company issued a written statement, which said that the families of the missing crew members have been notified.

"Until more facts are available the company is unable to comment or speculate on the circumstances and will continue to cooperate fully with the relevant parties, keeping the families of the missing crew members fully advised of developments," the statement also said.

The company declined to disclose where the two survivors were taken to after their rescue.

2 more bodies recovered from waters off Pedra Branca
Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia 7 Jan 10;

SINGAPORE: Two more bodies have been recovered from the waters off Pedra Branca after a Singapore-registered tugboat sunk early Wednesday morning.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the bodies were recovered at about 5.30pm on Thursday. This brings the death toll to four. Two bodies had been recovered on Wednesday night.

MPA said the search continues for the remaining seven missing crew members.

Two seamen were the first to be found alive, at about 9.50am - five hours after the boat sunk.

All crew members are Indonesians.

The tugboat, called Ocean Lark, had left Batam, Indonesia and was headed to Matak, Indonesia, when the incident happened.

Helping in the search and rescue operations are four Singapore navy vessels, one Super Puma helicopter, two Fokker 50 maritime patrol aircraft from the Singapore Air Force, one Indonesian navy vessel and 14 commercial vessels.

- CNA/sc


Three more bodies recovered from capsized tugboat
channelnewsasia.com 8 Jan 10;

SINGAPORE: Rescuers searching for victims of capsized tugboat "Ocean Lark" recovered three more bodies on Friday.

This brings to seven, the number of bodies recovered from the vessel which capsized off Pedra Branca on Wednesday morning.

Search efforts by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and commercial vessels for another four missing persons are continuing.

The Singapore-registered tugboat had an Indonesian crew of 13 on board when the vessel left Batam, Indonesia.

The "Ocean Lark" was headed to Matak, Indonesia when it capsized and two crew members were rescued by a passing Singapore supply vessel some 16 nautical miles east of Horsburgh Lighthouse.

- CNA/sf

Search for missing tugboat crew called off
Straits Times 13 Jan 10;

SEARCH and rescue operations for the crew of capsized tugboat Ocean Lark have been called off, with four men still missing.

The tugboat sank early last Wednesday as it was making its way from Batam to Tarempa Natuna in the South China Sea.

At the time, 13 people were on board the vessel. They are all believed to be Indonesian men.

Two - who clambered onto a lifeboat - were rescued, while seven bodies were recovered.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the search, involving 75 vessels and aircraft over an area larger than 1,000 sq km, was suspended at 5pm yesterday.

The MPA added that it will continue to inform vessels passing the vicinity of the incident site to keep a lookout for the four men who remain unaccounted for.

Besides Singapore and Indonesia, which sent their navies to look for the missing crew, 64 commercial vessels deviated from their voyages to assist in the search.

An Indonesian Embassy spokesman said the two survivors - the tugboat's chief and third engineers, who are in their 30s - are still in Singapore.

The families of two dead crew members - the master and chief officer - have claimed their bodies.