MALAYSIAN vessel Polaris and a Greece-registered bulk carrier were involved in a collision within Singapore Port Limits off Tuas this afternoon, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

The authority said the incident happened at 2.28pm today.

“There was a collision between Greece-registered bulk carrier Pireas and Malaysian vessel Polaris in Singapore’s territorial waters within the Singapore port limits off Tuas,” said MPA in a statement.

MPA said Pireas was on its way from Singapore to its next port of call at Tanjung Pelepas when the collision took place.

“MPA is deeply concerned that the presence of unauthorised vessels in the Singapore port limits can cause confusion for the international shipping community and threaten navigational safety in our waters,” said the statement.

MPA said it is investigating the incident.

However, the statement did not mention whether there was any injury to the crew.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry in a statement confirmed that the Greek vessel and its crew had been detained by the Marine Department for purposes of a preliminary inquiry as per Section 334(1) of the Malaysian Shipping Ordinance.

Explaining the incident, the ministry said the Greek vessel was first sighted entering Johor Baru Port Limits in Malaysian Territorial Waters at 1415hrs.

“During communication with Polaris, Piraeus responded that it will steer clear of Polaris.  Despite the clear communication and definitive instructions given, the collision happened on first contact until both vessels were cleared of each other at 1436hrs,” it said.

Wisma Putra said the incident, however, did not hamper any traffic flow and was away from the Traffic Separation Scheme area.

“The Marine Department strongly advises ships in Johor Baru Port Limits located in Malaysian Territorial Waters to exercise caution to avoid untoward incidents in the said waters,” it said,

The ministry also expressed their commitment to take appropriate measures to safeguard Malaysian territorial integrity, interests and safe navigation of all vessels. – Bernama, February 9, 2019.