23-2-2024 (SINGAPORE) A 59-year-old Singaporean commercial diver lost his life on February 17 after failing to resurface while engaged in hull cleaning activities at Marina South Pier. The diver, a freelancer hired by maritime services company Alphard Offshore, was discovered unconscious by rescue divers and later pronounced dead at Singapore General Hospital, according to a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesman.
MOM has initiated an investigation into the incident and has directed Alphard Offshore to halt all commercial diving activities. The Singapore Civil Defence Force responded to a call for assistance at 31 Marina Coastal Drive around 1:40 pm on February 17. Preliminary police investigations suggest no foul play.
In its statement, MOM emphasized the necessity of establishing and communicating a proper dive plan before the commencement of any commercial diving operation. This plan should include details such as the assigned task, appropriate diving equipment, roles and responsibilities of the dive team members, and emergency preparedness procedures.
This tragic incident brings back memories of a similar case in May 2018 when freelance diver Jake Seet, aged 33, drowned during a hull cleaning operation near Sentosa. Investigations revealed that Seet’s communication cord had become entangled with the seabed, preventing him from ascending. In a subsequent legal development, a diving superintendent received a two-year jail sentence in May 2021 for failing to respond to Seet’s distress signals.
Another incident occurred on June 23, 2018, resulting in the death of a 27-year-old untrained commercial diver, Muhammad Firdaus Jasni, pinned underwater by a fallen structure at a jetty. The firm employing Jasni, Marine Diving & Engineering, faced fines for safety lapses, including the deployment of untrained divers for underwater work. Jasni’s supervisor was sentenced to nine months in jail for neglecting the safety of the dive team during the operation.
