Maritime Mishap: Fishing Crew Saved Following Collision with Tanker Near Singapore

in a recent maritime incident, singapore and Indonesia joined forces to rescue the crew of a fishing boat that capsized in the eastern part of the Singapore Strait. This area has long been a point of contention between Singapore and its neighbors, but it is indeed currently under Singapore’s watchful eye.

The fishing vessel, known as Pacific Memory II, was reportedly navigating between Sumatra and Batam before finding itself near the Riau Islands. However, it ended up close to Pedra Branca—a well-known rocky formation famous for its lighthouse—right at the border with singapore.

According to reports from Batam Pos, survivors recounted how their boat collided with a large tanker, causing chaos on board. Many crew members were asleep when disaster struck; they awoke to find their vessel tipping dangerously. some managed to escape into the water while others struggled as the boat righted itself momentarily.One survivor shared that he spent four grueling hours in open water clinging desperately to his lifejacket after being thrown overboard.

the situation came to light when the Hong Kong-flagged container ship Cosco Development, weighing 140,600 dwt, alerted Singapore’s maritime Rescue Coordination Center around 7:20 AM on May 20th. The maritime and port Authority of Singapore quickly reached out for help from indonesian and Malaysian services while also notifying nearby vessels about the emergency. They confirmed that the fishing boat had capsized approximately 17 miles from Pedra Branca.

A Liberian-registered bulk carrier named Andros Spirit, weighing in at 82,740 dwt and owned by Greek interests, was dispatched to assist in rescuing those stranded at sea. It successfully retrieved all thirty crew members from their perilous situation.

The Indonesian authorities were prepared for receiving survivors but learned that they would need to meet up with the already-departing Andros spirit. Arrangements were made for this vessel to transport them back towards Batam were an Indonesian rescue craft awaited for safe transfer of those rescued.