Search Continues for Fourteen Still Missing After Sand Barge Capsizes in Singapore

By gCaptain On May 21, 2015

The latest AIS position transmitted by Oceanline SC208 shows the vessel underway at 9.8 knots at 2015-05-19 12:27 GMT. Screengrab courtesy MarineTraffic.com

Fourteen crewmembers remain missing more than 24 hours after a sand barge capsized in Singapore waters.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reports that all fourteen missing crewmembers from the Bolivian-registered sand carrier Oceanline SC208 remain unaccounted Thursday as search and rescue operations continue.
Overnight, the barge drifted into Malaysian waters before being towed to sheltered waters in Malaysia Thursday morning.

Vessels from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Singapore Police Coast Guard are continuing the search and rescue operations (SAR) in Singapore waters. Navigational broadcasts on the SAR operations are ongoing. MPA is also contacting transiting merchant vessels to keep a lookout for missing persons and to report any sightings to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Singapore.

The incident was first reported to the MPA at 10:00 a.m. local time Wednesday. The report said that the Oceanline SC208 capsized about 7.5 nautical miles north-east of Pedra Branca, one of the easternmost islands in the waters off Singapore.

One Chinese national was rescued by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

Those missing include 13 Chinese nationals and one Malaysian.