Some ceiling panels, lights ‘come loose’ at Marina Bay Cruise Centre after RSAF50 aerial display

SINGAPORE — Some false ceiling panels and lights at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) were dislodged and fell on Saturday (Aug 11) morning, after an aerial display by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) at the Marina Barrage.

The cruise centre confirmed the incident on Saturday, and said that no one was hurt. Its spokesperson said that “some panels” at the centre’s departure area and car park had “come loose” after the RSAF event in the morning.

The MBCCS added that all loose panels and hazards have been removed, but the replacement panels “will take a while” as fabrication is required.

The RSAF was performing as part of the RSAF50@Marina Barrage event to commemorate the air force's golden jubilee.

As part of the aerial show, the aircraft performed manoeuvres at altitudes of between 500ft and 2,000ft, which are lower than their usual operating altitudes. Twenty-five RSAF aircraft, including the F-15SG, and four Singapore Youth Flying Club trainer aircraft were involved in the flypast.

Two 30-minute shows were conducted daily over the weekend, at 10am and 2.30pm.

The cruise centre was closed on Saturday during the incident, and only a small number of staff were on duty, said its spokesperson.  

When TODAY visited the centre on Sunday, a construction crane was seen parked on the right of the centre’s departure exit, which is near the car park. Some ceiling panels were observed to be missing above the crane, leaving some light panels exposed.

Shop owners at the cruise centre told TODAY that their stores were “unusually dusty” when they returned to work on Sunday morning.

A shop assistant working in a mobile accessory store, who declined to be named, said: “I didn’t hear about the incident. But when I opened the shop this morning, the whole place was filled with dust.

“It’s strange because it’s usually not like this. I had to wipe down all the surfaces and mop the floor.”

The assistant added that business was not affected by the incident.

The owner of a convenience store, who also did not want to be named, said that he was told by security staff that some “panels on the ceiling” had fallen when he returned to the cruise centre on Saturday evening.

“One security (staff) told me some panels of the ceiling fell... I didn’t see the incident, but it doesn’t worry me. Everything is back to normal already,” he said.

Responding to queries from TODAY, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said that it was alerted to the incident at about 11.40am on Saturday, and preliminary onsite assessment by its engineers indicated that the building’s structural integrity had not been affected.

“BCA has directed the building owner to engage a professional engineer to carry out a detailed investigation of the incident and to recommend any permanent rectification works that may need to be carried out,” added its spokesperson.

The Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that the RSAF had been informed of the incident after Saturday morning’s aerial display. The ministry’s spokesperson added that the RSAF had adjusted the flight path for the subsequent aerial displays as a precautionary measure, and that there were no further issues reported after that.

Aerial displays have been conducted in the vicinity of the MBCCS during the SG50 Jubilee Weekend and RISING50, including rehearsals for the RSAF50 aerial display, and there were no reported issues, added the spokesperson.