One worker is missing and several have been injured after a crane collapse at a Keppel shipyard in Tuas, Singapore on Monday.
The accident occurred yesterday morning at around 1040, when a section of concrete pier on which the crane was standing collapsed, according to reports by Singaporean daily The Straits Times.
The pier collapse caused the crane to topple and become partially submerged under water.
Responding to queries from the newspaper, the country’s labour ministry said a 38-year-old Bangladeshi worker was on the pier where the crane had toppled and had fallen into the sea.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a search to find the missing Kumarann Marine worker remains ongoing.
Two other Bangladeshi workers aged 29 and 31, as well as a 48-year-old Chinese national and a 40-year-old Singaporean worker sustained “minor injuries” as a result of the accident, the ministry confirmed.
All are reportedly in a stable condition.
A spokesperson for Keppel told the news daily: “We have rescued one of the workers who is in stable condition, while the other worker is currently missing. We are working with the SCDF and Police Coast Guard on the search operations.”
The ministry is investigating the cause of the accident, and has reportedly stopped all works at the pier, while Keppel said it was working closely with authorities to help carry out investigations.
The nearby ship appears to be the SBM Offshore-built Prosperity floating production storage and offload vessel (FPSO), currently undergoing fit out ahead of deployment to an Exxon Mobil-led project off Guyana.
© Supplied by Marine TrafficThe 220,000 bpd vessel left dry dock earlier this year and was moved to the quay for topsides integration.
Once complete it will be moored on the 600 million barrel Payara field off Guyana, and should begin producing in 2024.
It will join two other SBM FPSOs, Liza Destiny and Liza Unity, in Guyanese waters.
A spokesperson for SBM told Energy Voice:
“SBM Offshore confirms that an incident has occurred at the Keppel Shipyard, Singapore, impacting an FPSO which is currently under construction. During construction activities, a section of the yard’s quayside alongside the FPSO collapsed, causing an impact between the crane and the vessel.”
“Four persons were injured in the incident and are in a stable condition. A fifth person fell into the water and remains missing with search and rescue efforts ongoing.
“Our first priority is to deal with the safety of all personnel.”
The Times said this was the second such accident at the Tuas yard this year, and that both incidents had involved structural collapses.
Two Bangladeshi workers died in March after they fell from a vessel docked at the shipyard when a scaffolding structure collapsed.