Malaysian and Greek vessels collide in Singapore’s waters

SINGAPORE — Amid an ongoing maritime dispute, a Malaysian government vessel — which has been intruding into Singapore's territorial waters — has collided with a merchant ship off Tuas, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Saturday (Feb 9).  

There are no reports of an oil leak, said MPA. It is not clear if there were any reports of injuries.

The collision between Malaysian vessel Polaris, which has been in and out of Singapore's waters since Dec 3, and Greek merchant ship Pireas took place at 2.28pm on Saturday.

Pireas was on its way from Singapore to its next port of call at Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia when the collision took place.

MPA said it is investigating the incident. Nevertheless, it is “deeply concerned” that the presence of unauthorised vessels in Singapore’s port limits can "cause confusion for the international shipping community and threaten navigational safety" in the Republic’s waters.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has previously expressed worries that an unintended and dangerous incident could occur while the Malaysian ships are in Singapore’s waters.

Singapore extended its port limits off Tuas on Dec 6, after repeated intrusions by Malaysian vessels for two weeks.

These included vessels from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Marine Department Malaysia.

The expansion of the Tuas port limits, which are within the Republic’s territorial waters, came after Malaysia unilaterally extended Johor Baru’s port limits on Oct 25, which drew strong protests from Singapore.