Accidents in S’pore’s waters: Ships detected but not monitored

SINGAPORE — The vessels involved in two recent maritime accidents in Singapore’s waters were detected by a network of sensors used by the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF). However, they were not closely monitored by the taskforce as the vessels did not pose a potential security threat.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told Parliament on Monday (Oct 2) that the United States warship USS John S McCain and tanker Alnic MC were both detected in Singapore’s waters off Pedra Branca on Aug 21.

The crash between the two ships killed 10 US Navy servicemen.

Singapore’s naval vessel RSS Gallant, which had been patrolling the waters, had also established contact with the warship in line with standard procedures, Dr Ng added.

In another accident on Sept 13, dredger JBB De Rong 19 and tanker Kartika Segara were detected and identified before they collided off Sisters’ Island.

“In both these incidents, none of the ships were designated as potential threats to security, and correctly so. As such, in compliance with standard protocols, they did not require close monitoring by the MSTF,” Dr Ng said.

The taskforce’s key focus is on potential threats to Singapore, while the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) oversees the navigation of ships in Singapore’s waters, he explained.

The master and crew on board the vessels were responsible for guiding their ships safely through waters, in accordance with the rules of navigation under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

Dr Ng was responding to a question by Sembawang GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Vikram Nair on the MSTF’s assessment of Singapore’s capabilities in surveilling maritime traffic, and the country’s ability to respond when commercial vessels in or entering Singapore’s waters may be used by terrorists.

The MPA had told The Straits Times previously that its vessel traffic information system had not detected the USS John S McCain until the Alnic MC, carrying 12,000 tonnes of fuel oil, delivered a crushing blow to the left side of the warship.

Later, the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau disclosed that the vessel traffic information system had detected both ships on the MPA’s radar. This was after the bureau reviewed the system’s recordings.

The MPA’s system also received the signal from Alnic MC’s automatic identification system (AIS), but it did not get any such signal from the warship. Put differently, the positions of the two ships were known, but the system did not have more information on the warship, such as its name and vessel type.

In addition to radar, traffic information systems rely on data from the AIS, which all but the smallest commercial vessels have to use to broadcast information on their whereabouts. Military vessels typically carry the system, but often turn it off because the captains do not wish to reveal too much information.

Dr Ng said on Monday that an international convention mandating the use of the AIS to detect ships at sea does not apply to warships. However, such ships, and those which do not comply with vessel identification, can still be detected by the MSTF’s network of coastal surveillance radars and electro-optic devices.

In the second accident between JBB De Rong 19 and the Kartika Segara, the MPA’s vessel traffic information system had provided navigational information and warnings to both vessels to take preventive action to avoid a collision. The vessels acknowledged the information provided, but the collision could not be averted, the MPA said previously.

In Parliament, MP Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC) also asked if the MPA’s vessel traffic information system would be reviewed to improve navigational safety and security in Singapore’s waters.

In response, Senior Minister of State (Transport) Lam Pin Min said that the system, which was installed in 2011 and can track more than 10,000 vessels concurrently, is enhanced regularly. It was upgraded early this year.

Every day, the Singapore port receives an average of 380 vessels, or nearly 139,000 vessels a year. More than 84,000 vessels transited through the Singapore Strait last year, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in a written reply to a question by Workers’ Party Non-Constituency MP Dennis Tan.

In spite of the heavy traffic, the number of major incidents has fallen over the years, from 13 in 2011 to one each in 2015 and last year, Mr Khaw added.

Up until the middle of last month, 101,705 vessels have called at Singapore’s port, while 58,458 vessels have transited through the Singapore Strait.