New body formed to look into aviation, maritime incidents

Singapore

A national body to investigate air and sea incidents and to recommend relevant safety measures has been formed.

The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) was formed on Aug 1, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) announced on Friday.

The ministry said: "The sole objective of TSIB's investigations is the prevention of further accidents and incidents; they are not for the purposes of apportioning blame or liability."

Countries like Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and United States have similar set-ups, MOT noted.

The TSIB was restructured from the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Formed in 2002, the AAIB has conducted and taken part in investigations of various air accidents and incidents.

Recently, the AAIB investigated the incident in which a Singapore Airlines flight turned back while flying to Milan from Singapore in June; shortly after it landed at Changi Airport, the engine caught fire.

AAIB made recommendations to plane maker Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aviation on ways to avoid a repeat of the incident. AAIB also requested that the US Federal Aviation Administration, the regulator of these two companies, to require that they conduct the necessary reviews.

The TSIB will take over from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) the role of conducting independent safety investigations into marine accidents and incidents, and to make recommendations to enhance the safety of sea transport, said MOT.

MPA will continue to investigate marine accidents and incidents for compliance with its regulations for ships operating within Singapore waters and ships under the Singapore flag.