Day of the Seafarer: Singapore union remembers young officer lost overboard

“As we commemorate the International Day of the Seafarer on 25 June, we want to take a moment to remember one of our own, Brother Muhammad Furqan Mohamed Rashid, who is currently missing at sea. Our hearts and prayers are with him and his family, and we stand in solidarity with them during this challenging time,” SMOU said in a post on LinkedIn.

Twenty-five-year-old, second officer Muhammad Furqan Mohamed Rashid was lost overboard from the bulker African Cardinal 14 miles off the coast of Point Conception, California. on 20 June last week. A search of a 200 sq mile area by the US Coast Guard was called off after 15 hours having failed to find the missing seafarer. The circumstances that led to Furqan being lost overboard are not known.

Related: A tale of two search and rescues – Titan and African Cardinal

“As we celebrate the remarkable contributions of seafarers, let us also remember those who face difficult circumstances at sea. We ask our members and the entire maritime community to join us in praying for the safe return of our missing Brother. Together, let's support Brother Furqan and his family and continue to uphold the importance of seafarers' well-being and safety,” SMOU said.

The number of Singaporean seafarers is relatively small although there has been a drive to attract more young people to take up a career at sea in recent years. The majority of SMOU members serving at sea are international seafarers working on Singapore-flagged vessels.