MULTI-AGENCY TEAM RESCUES PASSENGERS IN MARITIME EXERCISE

The emergency scenario: A fire had broken out in the engine room of a cruise ship heading towards Singapore. Luckily for the 700 passengers and crew on board Bianda I, an integrated multi-agency plan was in place to provide swift assistance.

More than 1,000 personnel from 21 agencies and companies, such as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), swung into action, and all the passengers were safely evacuated to the nearby Marina South Pier where the "injured" received medical treatment.

This multi-agency effort took place on 11 Jul as part of Exercise Blue Dolphin, one of Singapore's largest emergency preparedness exercises at sea. Led by MPA, the full-day exercise tested the agencies' readiness to respond to passenger vessel incidents in Singapore's waters.

It involved 28 vessels, which included tugboats, marine fire-fighting vessels, and two Fast-Craft Utility (FCUs) from the Republic of Singapore Navy. Assets like the SAF's four ambulances were also on hand to help in the management of casualties.

Commenting on the cooperation between the SAF, SCDF and other homefront agencies, MPA's chief executive Andrew Tan said: "When we deal with complex emergencies such as these, you need the strong cooperation of every agency involved, and there is no better way to hone the responsiveness of these agencies than to exercise together on a regular basis."

Lieutenant Colonel Depak Shorey from the SAF's Joint Operations Department agreed, adding: "I think this exercise is very good for the SAF, especially since we are able to work with the various agencies to sharpen our operational readiness and iron out all the processes and linkages.

"The SAF stands ready to contribute to homeland exigencies and we work closely with agencies such as MPA, the Singapore Police Force and Police Coast Guard to enforce the homeland security of Singapore."