Container barge grounded off Sentosa towed away safely; investigations under way

SINGAPORE: A container barge that ran aground near Tanjong Beach in Sentosa on the morning of 6 June 2025 has been successfully towed away to anchorage for inspection and investigation, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The barge, identified as Marco Polo 802, is an Indonesia-flagged vessel scheduled to arrive at a terminal in Singapore at 10am, as listed on the Maersk shipping website.

No injuries or pollution reported

MPA stated that there were no reports of injuries or environmental pollution. The vessel remained stable throughout the incident. “There is no impact to navigational safety,” MPA said, adding that the beach remains open to the public. A Facebook post by Sentosa also confirmed that there was no oil spillage. In an update on its Facebook page at 1.09pm, MPA noted that a portion of the floating security barriers off Sentosa had been damaged. The Police Coast Guard has taken over the assessment and repair work, and has stepped up patrols in the affected area. Eco-tour agency Kayakasia shared a Facebook video of the incident around 7.30am, reporting that the barge had blocked the lagoon and caused damage to sea barriers.

Incident adds to Sentosa’s recent maritime troubles

This is the latest maritime incident in the Sentosa area, which has seen multiple oil-related events in recent months. On 5 February, a diesel leak from the Police Coast Guard Brani Regional Base led to visible patches of oil off Sentosa waters. Although no oil reached the beaches, absorbent and deflective booms were deployed around Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches. In June 2024, the same three beaches were closed for nearly three months after a collision at Pasir Panjang Terminal caused the worst oil spill in Singapore in a decade.