SINGAPORE: A harbour pilot from PSA Marine died on Saturday (Feb 11) after falling into waters off Singapore’s Southern Islands.
The pilot fell overboard while disembarking from a tugboat to board a launch boat, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a media statement, adding that its marine safety control centre was alerted to the incident at about 2.50am.
A harbour pilot’s work involves boarding vessels to navigate them through congested waters.
MPA, the Police Coast Guard and the Singapore Civil Defence Force deployed patrol and emergency response vessels to conduct search and rescue operations.
“MPA also activated divers to conduct an underwater search for the missing pilot and issued navigational safety broadcasts to the surrounding vessels to support the search efforts,” the agency added.
In response to CNA’s queries, SCDF said the incident took place near Kusu Island, adding that it deployed two marine vessels and conducted a surface search at the location.
The body was recovered at about 11.30am.
The pilot was wearing a lifejacket at the time of the incident, said MPA, adding that investigations are ongoing.