Prime mover driver dies after vehicle falls into sea at Keppel Terminal; body recovered from 14m underwater

SINGAPORE — A 44-year-old man was pronounced dead on Tuesday morning (Jan 31) after the prime mover he was driving fell into the sea at Keppel Terminal Berth, which is a port in the Keppel area near the Central Business District.

In a press statement on Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that its Marine Safety Control Centre was alerted about the incident involving the trailer truck at about 2am.

"The MPA patrol craft was deployed immediately to set up a cordon to assist in the operations," it added.

"The body of the driver was recovered from the prime mover by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The person was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic."

In response to TODAY's queries, SCDF said that it received a call for assistance at 101 Keppel Road at about 1.45am on Tuesday.

"Upon SCDF's arrival, a trailer was seen at the edge of a shipping berth. The prime mover, which was attached to the trailer, had fallen into the sea and was fully submerged." 

Divers from SCDF's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team were deployed to conduct an underwater search after port operator PSA helped to secure the trailer to prevent it from moving.

Divers then retrieved the man from the cabin of the heavy vehicle from a depth of about 14m, SCDF said.

The man was recovered at 4.30am, port operator PSA Singapore said in response to TODAY's queries, adding that he was employed by one of its contractors.

"PSA extends our heartfelt condolences to the deceased's family and, together with his employer (PSA’s contractor), we will render support and assistance to them." 

The police and MPA said that they are investigating the incident.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police said that they do not suspect foul play.

MPA said that there was no impact on traffic movement at the port.

TODAY has contacted MPA and the Ministry of Manpower for more details about the incident.

Last month, 15 empty shipping containers fell into the sea at Keppel Terminal due to strong winds. No one was injured.

Workplace fatalities became a major concern last year when 46 people died on the job, higher than the 37 recorded in 2021, 30 in 2020 and 39 in 2019.

The number in 2022 was the highest since 2016, when there had been 66 fatalities at work.

MOM had to introduce a heightened safety period last September. Fewer workplace deaths had been recorded so far on a monthly basis during that period, the ministry said last month.