MPA probing collision between Chinese fishing vessel and Panama-flagged ship in S’pore waters

SINGAPORE – A collision between a China-registered fishing vessel and a Panama-flagged bulk carrier in Singapore waters is being investigated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

In a media reply on Sept 22, the MPA said the incident happened between the Lu Qing Yuan Yu fishing vessel and First Margaux on Sept 17 in the Singapore Strait, with maritime publication The Maritime Executive reporting that the collision happened at about 5pm.

“There were no reported injuries among the crew of either vessel or pollution arising from the incident,” the MPA said, adding that navigational traffic was also not affected.

The MPA said that the Chinese fishing vessel took on water during the incident, but remained afloat and stable.

The ship was towed to Raffles Reserved Anchorage for assessment, with the Singapore Civil Defence Force assisting in the transfer of affected crew members to shore.

Essential crew members, however, remained onboard to support the tow.

The authority also issued navigational safety broadcasts to keep other vessels clear as an MPA craft escorted the fishing vessel to port.

ST has learnt the ship was taken to a yard in Tuas for repairs, with ST’s checks on maritime tracking websites showing that the vessel was in waters off Tuas as at Sept 21.

The Maritime Executive had reported that the bulk carrier was departing from an anchorage in the east side of Singapore at about 4pm and headed westbound.

The fishing vessel got under way at around the same time from a different anchorage just off Sentosa, heading south.

Videos circulating online show the bow of the 229m-long First Margaux making contact with the rear-right section of the 49m-long Luqing Yuanyu 108.

The smaller Chinese ship, pushed to the left, tilted significantly as waves washed across its deck.

Crew members could be seen holding on to the railings as shouts erupted in the background.

Black smoke was also seen billowing from the Chinese ship.

Midway through the clip, a third vessel can be seen near the two ships, though it did not come into contact with either.

The Malacca and Singapore straits, where the collision took place, form one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

More than 102,500 ships transited the Malacca strait in 2025, up from about 94,300 the previous year, Bloomberg reported, citing data from Malaysia’s Marine Department.

The MPA, in a Facebook post, said in August that a third of all containers and a quarter of all seaborne trade pass through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

Ann Neo is with ST Now, the desk that covers breaking and trending news for The Straits Times.

Daniel Lai is a journalist at the ST Now team, covering breaking news and international affairs.