Illustrative (Source: Internet)The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on August 21 organised an annual drill on emergency rescue at sea.
The drill was intended to assess the preparedness of relevant agencies in the event of a passenger ferry incident in the country’s waters.
More than 350 employees from 10 agencies and enterprises participated in the drill named FEREX 2015, which lasted for half a day.
The MPA set a scenario when a ferry carrying 100 passengers and 13 crew members on its way to Bintan island of Indonesia collided with a cargo ship heading for Singapore.
The collision damaged the hull of the ferry and water leaked in, some passengers injured while some others got panic and jumped into sea.
Fifteen ships were sent for rescue work and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were also used for the drill.
The FEREX 2015 was organised within the Safety@Sea Week 2015 of Singapore.
On the occasion, a national sea safety council was formed to advise the MPA on issues relating to sea safety as well as help improve safety standards for sea shipping.-VNA
