SINGAPORE - A chief engineer of a container ship who refused to submit his Singapore Arrival Card decided to slip under a turnstile to enter the country.

Tober Torsten, a 64-year-old German national, pleaded guilty on Feb 16 to illegally entering Singapore and was given a $1,000 fine.

On Dec 1, 2023, Torsten was on the MV Nhava Sheva, which had docked at Pasir Panjang Terminal 4.

Checks by The Straits Times show the vessel is a 261m-long container ship sailing under the South Korean flag.

The court heard that Torsten wanted to tour the city after the ship was docked.

He had obtained shore leave and had a valid in-principle approval letter issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

At around 3.50am, he disembarked from the ship and proceeded to the crew office to get his clearance to enter Singapore, but he did not submit the arrival card.

Torsten, who was directed to seek help to submit his form, then left the office, but he did not fill up his arrival form as requested by the ICA officer, at this point.

Instead, he proceeded to the exit turnstile where he asked a security officer to allow him to enter Singapore.

The officer told Torsten to wait, and went to the crew office to seek clarification.

After waiting for a few minutes, Torsten decided to go under one of the turnstiles and entered Singapore.

He was caught a short distance away from the terminal and referred to ICA’s investigative branch.

For illegally entering the country without presenting the valid documents, an offender can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.