Bodies of 3 employees of Sembcorp Marine unit to be repatriated from China this week

SEMBCORP Marine said the bodies of the three employees of Jurong Marine Services Pte Ltd who died when the tugboat they were in sank in Yangtze river, are expected to be brought back to Singapore and Batam sometime this week.

The men were witnessing the sea trial of the tugboat when the boat capsized, said Sembcorp Marine, parent of the Jurong Marine Services.

The latter has a charter contract with a Singapore company Harbour Maritime Services Pte Ltd to charter the tugboat. The tugboat was commissioned to be constructed by Bengbu Shenzhou Machinery Co Ltd in China, Bengbu Shipyard, by a company related to Harbour Maritime Services Pte Ltd.

Jurong Marine Services employees went to witness the sea trial of the tugboat as part of the project monitoring.

The employees, assistant manager Baginda Ali bin Zainul Abidin, aged 53 years, chief engineer Aif Rifadi, 41, and operations executive Bernard Chung Wai Kian, 27, were deployed to witness the sea trial. Baginda Ali and Chung were Singaporeans, while Rifadi was Indonesian.

During the sea trial in China, the tugboat capsized and 22 people, including the three Jurong Marine Services employees on board, died.

Investigations by the Chinese maritime authorities are ongoing and Jurong Marine Services is monitoring the progress.

Sembcorp Marine said Jurong Marine Services will extend its fullest support and offer every form of help to the bereaved families.

A professional counsellor has also been engaged to offer counselling services to employees who may be affected by the incident, it added.