Harbour Pilot Falls From Boat In S’pore’s Southern Islands, Body Recovered Hours Later

29-Year-Old Harbour Pilot Falls From Boat While Attempting To Board Another

On Saturday (11 Feb), tragedy befell a harbour pilot in the waters of Singapore’s Southern Islands.

The pilot fell overboard from a boat while attempting to board another one.

His body was recovered hours later after search efforts by the relevant authorities.

Incident occurred in the early hours of 11 Feb morning

In a media statement on Saturday (11 Feb), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said the incident happened in the early hours of that morning.

The Marine Safety Control Centre was alerted at about 2.50am.

They were told that a PSA Marine (PSAM) harbour pilot had fallen overboard in the waters off the Southern Islands.

A harbour pilot drives ships through waters such as harbours, which are typically crowded with ships.

Source: MPA on Facebook. Photo for illustration purposes only.

Harbour pilot falls trying to board launch boat

The harbour pilot was attempting to board a PSAM launch boat in this case.

He was disembarking from a tugboat but fell into the water.

At the time of the incident, he was wearing a lifejacket, MPA noted.

Search & rescue operations conducted

The relevant authorities sprang into action immediately.

Patrol and emergency response craft were sent to the area by MPA, the Police Coast Guard (PCG) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Source: MPA on Facebook. Photo for illustration purposes only.

They conducted a search-and-rescue operation for the missing pilot, including sending divers to search underwater.

Navigational safety broadcasts were also issued to vessels in the area so they could help look out for the pilot.

Body of pilot found almost 9 hours later

Sadly, the pilot’s body was found at about 11.30am — almost nine hours later.

The remains were recovered from the sea and sent to PCG Brani Base.

The deceased was a 29-year-old man, the police told Lianhe Zaobao. He was pronounced dead on the spot when paramedics failed to find his heartbeat.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

MS News extends our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the deceased. Hopefully, they will find out what happened so they can receive closure.

Another sea-related workplace death in 2023

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first sea-related workplace death this year.

On 31 Jan, a prime mover fell into the sea at Keppel Terminal. This resulted in the passing of the driver, which was confirmed after his body was recovered.

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Featured image adapted from Manish Tulaskar on Unsplash.