Tanzania-flagged container vessel sinks in Singapore Strait

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) announced on Saturday (June 6) that a Tanzania-registered container vessel, Golden Star 1, had sunk in the Singapore Strait on Friday night.

MPA added that the incident happened about 6km off Batam at about 10.30pm.

It added that the vessel reportedly took on water and subsequently sank.

All nine crew members were later rescued by Indonesian authorities.

Checks by AsiaOne on shipping tracking platforms show that the vessel's last known position is north of Sekupang in Batam, and to the south of East Coast Park.

Based on information presented on its maritime automatic identification system (AIS), the built in 1995 Tanzania-registered vessel had departed Singapore at about 8.20pm. It was bound for Malaysia.

MPA said it is issuing navigational broadcasts advising vessels to exercise caution when transiting the area, and to report any sighting of containers adrift.

There are currently no reports of oil pollution in Singapore waters and vessel traffic in both the Straits of Malacca and Singapore remains unaffected.

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