Container ship sinks off coast of Batam

SINGAPORE: A container vessel sank about 6km off the coast of Batam on Friday (Jun 5) night, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Saturday.

The Tanzania-registered Golden Star 1 sank off the Indonesian island at about 10.30pm Singapore time after taking on water, MPA said in a media release.

All nine of its crew members were safely rescued by Indonesian authorities.

Vessel traffic in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore is unaffected by the incident, and there are currently no reports of oil pollution in Singapore waters, MPA said, adding that it had "informed the Indonesian authorities and is monitoring the situation".

"The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore is issuing navigational broadcasts advising vessels to exercise caution when transiting the area, and to report any sighting of containers adrift," MPA said.