Singapore Civil Defence Force Captain Dies Fighting Ship Fire

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) reported the death of a firefighter, identified as the captain of SCDF, on Thursday, May 16. The SCDF captain was on duty extinguishing a fire aboard an oil/chemical tanker, the Sheng Hang Hua 6, anchored southwest of Singapore.

The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) reported the fire aboard the vessel around 12:15 AM local time. The Singapore Fire Team arrived at the scene around 1:15 AM to combat the fire in the vessel's engine room.

At approximately 3:30 AM, two firefighters, including the SCDF captain, were in the engine room, equipped with protective personal equipment, working to extinguish the fire. The SCDF captain was using a thermal imaging device to detect other fire sources.

However, at 4:00 AM, the firefighting team lost contact with the SCDF captain and later found him at the bottom of the engine room staircase. He was conscious at the time and was swiftly evacuated from the ship aboard the SCDF fast-response marine boat, with CPR being performed. 

Unfortunately, he lost consciousness during the evacuation and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Sheng Hang Hua 6 sails under the flag of China. The tanker departed from Merak and arrived at Singapore Anchorage on May 15. The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority reported that the fire had been successfully extinguished and the ship is stable with no cargo fuel aboard.