MPA probing collision between Chinese fishing vessel and Panama-flagged ship in S’pore waters
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Video footage circulating online shows crew members on the smaller Chinese fishing vessel holding on to railings as it appears to tilt significantly.
PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM REDDIT
- A collision occurred on Sept 17 in Singapore waters between the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Qing Yuan Yu and Panama-flagged bulk carrier First Margaux, with no injuries or pollution reported.
- The fishing vessel took on water but stayed afloat and was towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment, with assistance from Singapore authorities.
- The Malacca and Singapore Straits are busy shipping lanes, handling a third of global containers and a quarter of seaborne trade, highlighting the importance of navigational safety.
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SINGAPORE – A collision between a China-registered fishing vessel and a Panama-flagged bulk carrier in Singapore waters is being investigated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
In a media reply on Sept 22, the MPA said the incident happened between the Lu Qing Yuan Yu 108 fishing vessel and First Margaux on Sept 17 in the Singapore Strait, with publication The Maritime Executive reporting that the collision happened at about 5pm.
“There were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel or pollution arising from the incident,” the MPA said, adding that navigational traffic was also not affected.
The MPA said the Chinese fishing vessel took on water during the incident, but remained afloat and stable.
The ship was towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment, with the Singapore Civil Defence Force assisting in the transfer of affected crew members to shore.
Essential crew members, however, remained on board to support the tow.
The authority issued navigational safety broadcasts to keep other vessels clear as an MPA craft escorted the fishing vessel to port.
The Straits Times has learnt that the ship was taken to a yard in Tuas for repairs. ST’s checks on maritime tracking websites show that the vessel was in the waters off Tuas as at Sept 21.
The Maritime Executive had reported that the bulk carrier was departing from an anchorage in the east of Singapore at about 4pm and was westbound.
The fishing vessel got under way at around the same time from a different anchorage just off Sentosa, heading south.
Videos circulating online show the bow of the 229m-long First Margaux making contact with the rear-right section of the 49m-long Lu Qing Yuan Yu 108.
The smaller Chinese ship, pushed to the left, tilts significantly as waves wash across its deck.
Crew members can be seen holding on to the railings as shouts erupt in the background.
Black smoke is also seen billowing from the Chinese ship.
Midway through the clip, a third vessel can be seen near the two ships, though it does not come into contact with either.
Waves washing across the deck of the Chinese fishing vessel as black smoke billows from it.
PHOTOS: SCREENGRABS FROM REDDIT
The Malacca and Singapore straits, where the collision took place, form one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
More than 102,500 ships transited the Malacca Strait in 2025, up from about 94,300 the previous year, Bloomberg reported, citing data from Malaysia’s Marine Department.
The MPA, in a Facebook post, said in August that a third of all containers and a quarter of all seaborne trade pass through the Malacca and Singapore straits.