Volunteers recruited to support search-and-rescue efforts in Singapore waters
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The MPA launched a new volunteer programme aimed at having more of helping hands and keen eyes at sea.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – Captain Hery Bethus was at the helm of a ferry headed to Bintan from Singapore when he spotted six people flailing in the sea about 3km from the Indonesian ferry terminal.
They had jumped overboard after their vessel suffered a leak in the engine room and sank. Capt Hery, a 45-year-old ship master with Bintan Resort Ferries, disembarked his passengers at the ferry terminal before turning around to rescue the sailors.
His watchful eyes and decisive actions helped avert disaster in the 2023 incident.
On Aug 19, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) launched a new volunteer programme aimed at having more of these helping hands and keen eyes at sea.
The pilot batch of the Safer Seas Volunteer Programme comprises 17 volunteers, all of whom are experienced in operating pleasure craft – such as a speedboat, rigid inflatable boat or jet ski – and are engaged in regular sea-based activities.
Before they are deployed, volunteers will receive training related to search efforts for man overboard incidents and in basic first aid, including knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how to use an automated external defibrillator.
Launched at the opening of the annual Singapore Safety@Sea Week conference, the programme comes in the wake of several maritime incidents in Singapore’s waters, including an allision between a dredger and a bunker vessel in June, which resulted in an oil spill two tankers colliding and catching fire in July
Among the volunteers are Madam Amy Lim, 47, and her husband Alvin Lim, 52, who were encouraged to join the programme by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Yacht Club, where they are members.
Madam Lim, a business owner, said she thought it would be a good idea to get “extra training” on how to better handle emergencies, since she would help distressed people at sea even if she was not a volunteer.
The Lims – both proficient jet-ski riders who head out to sea at least twice a week – have completed some search-and-rescue courses that teach standard protocols they have to follow when they spot someone in distress, as well as radio communication practices. They are slated to attend a first aid course soon.
Madam Lim said she and her husband, also a business owner, are happy to offer their help, adding that riding jet skis allows them to enter shallow waters and move faster than regular boats.
Speaking at the opening of the conference held at Conrad Singapore Orchard Hotel, Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai said these volunteers can be contacted by the authority to help with searching for and reporting any sightings of people overboard if they are near an incident site.
In response to The Straits Times’ queries, MPA said the pilot run of the programme will be reviewed before any expansion plans for it are made.
Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai said these volunteers can be contacted by the authority to help with searching for and reporting any sightings of people overboard if they are near an incident site.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Mr Murali also shared other efforts to improve safety, including MPA’s push for the industry to adopt digital bunkering and submit electronic bunker delivery notes by default. He added that a majority of bunker suppliers have already been part of this initiative since its launch in November 2023.
Bunkering refers to the supplying of fuel to ships, often involving the transfer of fuel from one ship to another.
Digital bunkering is safer as it reduces the need for personnel to move between vessels to obtain and validate paper documentation, which is when accidents can happen.
Captain Hery Bethus was awarded the MPA Safety@Sea Awards for rescuing six people at sea on Dec 22, 2023.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
The Workplace Safety and Health Council on Aug 19 also launched a four-week public consultation on new guidelines concerning the use and maintenance of life jackets, said Mr Murali.
At the conference, MPA chief executive Teo Eng Dih presented the MPA Safety@Sea Awards to the masters and crew of eight vessels, including Capt Hery, who rescued a total of 153 people in 2023.
Commenting on the new volunteer programme, Capt Hery said: “It is a good initiative to have more volunteers to save people in trouble at sea. If my crew and I (are in distress), I would also want to be saved, so it’s good to have more people available.”
