SINGAPORE — A 29-year-old harbour pilot from PSA Marine (PSAM) died on Saturday (11 Feb) after falling overboard while disembarking from a tugboat to board a PSAM launch boat in waters off Southern Islands.
According to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), its Marine Safety Control Centre was informed of the accident at about 2.50 am on Saturday.
It is said that the pilot was wearing a lifejacket at the time of the incident.
MPA, Police Coast Guard (PCG) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) immediately deployed patrol and emergency response craft to the scene 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.
According to authorities, this took place near Kusu Island.
On the same day, at about 11.30 am, the body of the pilot was recovered and conveyed to PCG Brani Base.
Investigations are ongoing.
This is the fifth workplace fatality in 2023.
On 8 Feb, a 53-year-old Singaporean worker who was unloading a shipment of glass doors with two other workers, died from injuries after nine glass doors toppled on the three of them. And earlier, a 44-year-old Malaysian prime mover driver employed by freight forwarding company Handling System died on 31 Jan after his vehicle fell into the sea at Keppel Terminal operated by PSA Singapore.
A harbour pilot provides pilotage and berthing services, ensuring the safe and expedient movement of ships entering and departing the port, including berthing and unberthing of the ships, anchoring and ship movement within the port.
