Vessels from Navy, SCDF and MPA to debut at Marina Bay in NDP maritime display

SINGAPORE – Three boats from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) will make their debut at Marina Bay during the National Day Parade.

They are the RSN’s Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vessel (MarSec USV), the SCDF’s White Swordfish, which is a Rapid Response Fire Vessel (RFV), and a patrol craft from the MPA.

They will be accompanied by the navy’s Combatant Craft Medium and the Singapore Police Force’s 3-Series PC Class Patrol Craft.

These five vessels are part of the

mobile column segment of the parade

, which also includes 143 vehicles travelling along St Andrew’s Road, and 22 aircraft flying across the Padang.

In total, the segment involves 170 assets and more than 800 personnel from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Home Team and the MPA.

Lieutenant-Colonel James Ong Chong Yu, who is the deputy chairman of the naval participation committee, said: “This year’s maritime display is unique because (audiences) will see the participation of four different maritime security agencies in the Bay for the first time.”

He added: “This idea came about because of this year’s expanded show canvas (which includes Marina Bay). We recognised that it gave us an opportunity to showcase the whole-of-government collaboration in maritime security operations.”

The

MarSec USV

, which began operating in Singapore’s waters in January, is used to conduct surveillance and can be operated remotely by a two-man crew. It has an endurance time of about 36 hours and can travel up to 25 knots.

The

White Swordfish

is one of three SCDF Rapid Response Fire Vessels, built to respond to maritime emergencies including fires, chemical spills and rescue operations.

The

MPA’s patrol craft,

built for emergency responses and enforcement, is equipped with systems for efficient communication with its command centres and a rescue boat for man-overboard recovery.

For the maritime display, the five vessels have to be hoisted from the sea into the Bay before the show.

It takes about 30 minutes to hoist each vessel, said LTC Ong, who added that the entire process can take about three hours, inclusive of breaks for the crew.

When selecting the vessels, the agencies had to take into account the size and weight limits of the boat hoist at Marina Barrage, which has a maximum lifting capacity of 70 tonnes, he said.

Rehearsals for the maritime display began in May, said LTC Ong, adding that sailing legs and routes were used to simulate sailing inside the Bay.

“During the rehearsals, we are looking at how the vessels are coordinating to maintain the distance between (them), and making sure everybody turns at the right time, so that the whole convoy maintains a nice and straight formation,” he said.

The five vessels will begin their route at the Helix Bridge, sailing past several landmarks such as the ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, The Promontory@Marina Bay, Clifford Pier and the Esplanade.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that sailing legs and blocks were used to simulate sailing in the Bay. It should be sailing legs and routes. We are sorry for the error.