SINGAPORE: Search and rescue operations are ongoing for a passenger of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas who fell overboard into the Singapore Strait, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Tuesday (Aug 1).
The Singapore Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) said it was notified of the incident at about 7.50am on Monday. The vessel was en route to Singapore at the time.
In its latest statement on Tuesday night, MPA said the MRCC continues to coordinate search and rescue operations.
MPA has deployed two patrol craft to help in the search in Singapore’s waters, while 22 commercial vessels are also assisting in the search for the passenger.
“Assets from Singapore’s Police Coast Guard and the Republic of Singapore Navy are also keeping a lookout. The search and rescue area covers the stretch of Singapore port waters and the Singapore Strait,” said the authority.
MRCC is also also coordinating search and rescue operations with Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Badan Nasional Pencarian dan Pertolongan (BASARNAS), who have deployed three craft to assist in the efforts.
“MRCC Singapore continues to issue navigational safety broadcast to vessels in the Singapore Strait to keep a lookout for the missing passenger,” said MPA.
In a tweet on Tuesday night, the High Commission of India in Singapore said that it has been in “constant touch” with the Sahani family since being notified of the incident.
It is also in close contact with Singapore authorities to address the issues and are facilitating legal procedures.
The High Commission added it has reached out to the India head of the Royal Caribbean cruise company to “extend all cooperation”.
“We remain fully committed to supporting the family in this testing time.”
A “Vivek Sahani” on Instagram, who says he is the son of the missing passenger, posted on Tuesday night that Royal Caribbean shared “footage” of the incident with the family and his mother has died.
An identical message also appeared on a Twitter page going by the username “Apoorv Sahani”.
CNA has reached out to the High Commission, Royal Caribbean and “Vivek Sahani” for more information.