The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) today held a full-day emergency preparedness exercise, codenamed "Exercise Blue Dolphin 2014" where evacuation of some 700 passengers and crew members onboard a passenger vessel was carried out. The exercise was carried out to test the readiness of various agencies to respond to passenger vessel incidents in the Port of Singapore, the company said in its press release.
More than 1000 personnel from 21 agencies and companies participated in this exercise, which consisted of a table-top drill at the Port Operations Control Centre at PSA Vista and deployment of resources to test the preparedness and response of mass evacuation and transfer of persons at the sea. The exercise will be conducted in the Eastern Holding Anchorage, approximately 4.5 km from Marina South Pier and at the landward locations in Marina South Pier and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore.
The Exercise scenario started with a fire in the engine room of a cruise ship heading towards Singapore. To ensure the safety of passengers and crew and to obtain additional support to put out the fire, the Master reported the incident to MPA's Port Operations Control Centre and requested for assistance in fire-fighting and evacuating the passengers. The evacuated passengers and crew will be brought to the landing point at Marina South Pier where the injured will receive medical attention and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore for temporary refuge.
MPA's Chief Executive, Mr Andrew Tan said," As a major hub port along a very busy waterway, Singapore takes the safety of vessels and passengers seriously. The exercise today gives us an excellent opportunity to test our inter-agency response to any major emergencies at sea involving real assets and people. We cannot take safety for granted and it involves everyone playing their part."
