Human errors led to three collisions off Singapore, says port authority

A Safety Review Committee (SRC), formed by MPA, also reviewed the overall regime of navigational safety in Singapore’s port limits, and found no apparent correlation in the occurrence of incidents and growth in vessel movements. The existing systems and procedures put in place by MPA have helped to keep the incident rates low.

“There was lack of situational awareness of the bridge teams, including the pilots, although MPA’s Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) had provided advisories and warnings of the traffic situation to the bridge teams,” MPA said in a statement.

“The bridge teams also did not make use of all available means at their disposal, such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS), Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA), Radar, and Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) to avoid the collisions. Appropriate disciplinary actions will be taken against the members of the bridge teams, including the pilots, for contravening the relevant regulations,” MPA added.

The three collision accidents were between a China-flagged containership and a Hong Kong-flagged chemical tanker, a Panama-flagged containership and a barge, and a Liberia-flagged containership and Panama-flagged chemical tanker.

Meanwhile, the SRC has recommended a few key measures to further enhance the safety of navigation in Singapore port and in the Singapore Strait.

The recommended measures include instilling a strong safety culture, enhancing communication and information sharing, and improving safe passage in high risk areas.