Volunteer Programme to Enhance Safety Launches at Singapore Safety@Sea Week

Themed ‘All Hands On Deck: Safety First!’, the 11th edition of the Singapore Safety@Sea Week opens today. Speaking at the opening of the Singapore Safety@Sea Conference today, Mr Murali Pillai, Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Law, emphasised the importance of preparedness, coordination, and responsiveness when managing incidents at sea and the use of technology to enhance incidence response capabilities.

Mr Murali also presented letters of appointment to 17 volunteers who have signed up for the new Safer Seas Volunteer Programme (SSVP). The SSVP is developed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) with support from members of the pleasure craft community and marina managers to augment search and rescue (SAR) efforts coordinated by MPA in Singapore waters. Under the programme, MPA can contact volunteers whose craft are in the vicinity of an incident to request their assistance to search and report sighting of man overboard (MOB) to MPA. As part of the programme, volunteers will receive training, including on how to conduct search at sea for the MOB. Three marinas received letters of appreciation for their staff’s participation in SSVP.

MPA and the Singapore Civil Defence Force are co-organising the maritime workshops for the first time this year, as part of Singapore Safety@Sea Week. The workshops will feature SCDF’s Responders Plus Programme and will be opened to all members of the Singapore maritime workforce, including harbour craft, pleasure craft and regional ferry personnel. The workshops aim to increase the emergency preparedness amongst the community in Maritime Singapore and the half-day session will cover core lifesaving skills like first aid, CPR, use of AED, and the use of fire extinguishers.

MPA Chief Executive Mr Teo Eng Dih presented the MPA Safety@Sea Awards for outstanding contributions to SAR efforts to the masters and crew of eight vessels involved in various SAR efforts in 2023. A total of 153 persons were rescued in these efforts.

The panel discussions at this year’s Singapore Safety@Sea Conference will share insights on the safety preparations and lessons learnt from the pilot trials conducted in Singapore on the use of methanol and ammonia as marine fuel, as well as discussions on the pressing issues impacting maritime workforce’s safety and wellbeing.

In collaboration with MPA, the Ministry of Manpower, and key industry partners, the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council is developing the WSH Guidelines on Personal Flotation Devices – Life Jackets. These guidelines provide guidance on the selection of life jackets for different work environments in line with international standards and recommend good practices on their use and maintenance. A four-week public consultation was launched today, after the completion of an industry consultation exercise in July 2024.

To test and validate Singapore’s operational readiness in the event of a ferry mishap incident, this year’s ferry rescue exercise (FEREX) comprises a table-top exercise on 1 August 2024 and a ground deployment exercise (GDX) to be conducted on 22 August 2024. FEREX 2024 will include a seaward exercise off the southern coast of Singapore and a landward exercise at Marina Bay Cruise Centre, involving 12 vessels and over 200 personnel from eight government agencies and industry partners. Mr Murali will observe the GDX together with key personnel from the various government agencies and industry partners.

The scenario in this year’s FEREX simulates a collision between an electric ferry and a diesel-powered ferry. MPA will activate its ferry mishap contingency plan to test the various agencies’ operational readiness to deal with a battery fire, evacuation of passengers, MOB drills, and medical procedures. FEREX 2024 will see the use of aerial drones for surveillance and delivery of life buoy to the MOB, as well the use of an autonomous unmanned vehicle to conduct hull inspections on the damaged ferry. Some of SSVP volunteers will also participate in this FEREX.

In conjunction with the Singapore Safety@Sea Week, 17 senior officials from maritime and port authorities from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, Middle East, Oceania and International Maritime Organization, are attending the 10th edition of the Port Management Programme (PMP). Organised by the MPA Academy for port masters and harbour masters, PMP covers key topics including maritime safety, port planning, decarbonisation and digitalisation, and emergency preparedness. Participants will also visit key maritime facilities including the Integrated Simulation Centre and Port Operations Control Centre.

This annual Singapore Safety@Sea Week brings together the maritime community to discuss safety at sea and share best practices on maritime safety. More details of the event, including details of the industry’s co-located events can be found at www.safetyatseaweek.gov.sg .

source: MPA

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