Salvaging Efforts at Pulau Hantu: Follow Up

September 24, 2013

Hantu Blog received an encouraging email from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)  today as a follow up to the dumping incident and salvaging efforts that occurred at Pulau Hantu between July and August 2013. The following is the email we received from MPA Chief Executive, Lam Yi Young:

Dear Debby,

To close the loop, we have completed our investigation into the incident and with the help of Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), we have established the circumstances behind the debris recovered last month around Pulau Hantu.

A contractor, hired by SDC, had been doing maintenance work on Pulau Hantu and the materials fell into the sea accidentally while the workers were transporting them between the island and the mainland. According to the workers, they tried to retrieve the items but were not able to. The workers did not report the incident to their bosses and also did not inform SDC or MPA. Our investigation did not uncover any evidence to suggest that the dumping was intentional.

The contractor has agreed to bear the cost of the salvage operation. MPA has also taken enforcement action against the contractor under the MPA (Port) Regulations for failing to inform the Port Master of the incident without delay.

Thank you for alerting us to this incident and once again, it was a pleasure working with you and your team on the removal.

Regards,
Yi Young
Chief Executive | Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)

The process of incident has been a unique and wonderful opportunity for Hantu Blog, the volunteers involved, and you, our readers, to observe and understand how MPA has engaged the respective stakeholders (ourselves included!) to make the best out of this unfortunate incident.

We are pleased to learn that the contractor related to this incident has been contacted and that the best possible outcome was sought.

It has been such a pleasure working with the MPA team, SDC, and Singapore Salvage Engineers, and we definitely look forward to future collaborations!

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