It looks like any normal day off Singapore's coast. Merchant ships,
military warships and coast guard vessels ply the straits in a mishmash
of routes and destinations. From behind that veil of normalcy, a speedboat
emerges. It is heading to a key installation located along Singapore's
coast. Some distance away, a suspicious merchant vessel also heads towards
Singapore.
From a bystander's point of view, nothing is wrong. But the Singapore
Maritime Crisis Centre (SMCC) knows better. The speedboat is in protected
waters, and the merchant vessel is not following its proper course.
After running checks, it is confirmed that the merchant vessel has been
hijacked.
Something has to be done.
|
Rapid
response
An Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) is despatched to intercept the speedboat.
The Police Coast Guard (PCG) is also tasked to take the speedboat down
with its interceptor craft. The speedboat is stopped dead in its tracks
before it can even get close to the key installation.
A small armada is also sent to swiftly deal with the hijacked merchant
vessel.
A Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) patrol vessel and the PCG intercept
the merchant ship. The Special Operations Task Force, elite soldiers
from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), arrive via helicopter and fast
craft to storm the ship and wrest control from the hijackers.
During the capture of the hijackers, a fire breaks out. The Singapore
Civil Defence Force (SCDF) moves in to douse the flames, while the Maritime
and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) contains the resulting oil spillage.
With the hijackers subdued and fire put out, the merchant vessel is
taken into port where the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
and Singapore Customs board the ship to investigate its crew and cargo.
In less than an hour, the seas are back to normal again. Beyond the
drama, there is a highly coordinated team from the SMCC orchestrating
the takedown. |
