Efforts are under way to find a worker who fell into the sea on Monday (Aug 22) after a crane collapsed at a Tuas shipyard and injured four other workers.

In response to queries, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said a 38-year-old Bangladeshi worker in Keppel Shipyard was on a pier where the crane had toppled.

MOM said part of the concrete pier that the crane was standing on collapsed. The crane then toppled, with part of the structure under water.

The incident happened at about 10.40am on Monday at 51 Pioneer Sector 1.

The worker employed by Kumarann Marine was still missing on Tuesday at 6.30pm.

Two other Bangladeshi workers aged 29 and 31, a 48-year-old Chinese national, and a 40-year-old Singaporean worker sustained minor injuries.

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They are all in stable condition, said MOM.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at about noon on Monday. The Singaporean and 31-year-old Bangladeshi workers were taken to the National University Hospital.

In a statement, Keppel Shipyard said a section of the quayside had given way, causing two workers to fall into the sea and a crane to tilt to one side.

A Keppel spokesman said: “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.”

In photos of the incident circulating on social media, the crane can be seen sitting next to a large vessel that was berthed at the shipyard.

In the photos, the crane’s base appears to have buckled, making it fall towards the berthed ship.

The crane’s boom- the long fixed arm used to move objects - appears to be damaged as well.

MOM said it is investigating the cause of the accident, and has stopped all work at the pier.

Keppel Shipyard said it is working closely with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation is done.

It said: “Keppel Shipyard values the life and safety of every worker. As investigations are ongoing, we are unable to provide further details at this juncture.”

When The Straits Times visited the shipyard at about 6pm on Tuesday, workers said they did not know about the incident or they declined to comment.

One contractor who declined to give his name said he saw a police car in the shipyard.

With Monday’s incident, at least two workplace accidents have taken place at the Keppel shipyard in Tuas this year. The latest incident is also the second one to involve the collapse of a large structure.

On March 28, two Bangladeshi workers aged 30 and 42 died after they were thrown off a vessel docked at the shipyard after a structure on top of the vessel collapsed.

They were among three workers who were at work on a scaffold built around the structure.

The third worker, also a Bangladeshi, managed to cling to the structure after it collapsed.

The 25-year-old was later rescued by the shipyard’s emergency response team and taken to hospital.

There is rising concern over slipping workplace safety and health standards in Singapore after an increase in the number of work-related deaths and major injuries in recent months.

As at Aug 3, 32 workers have died this year, compared with 30 work-related deaths recorded in 2020, and the 37 deaths recorded last year. THE STRAITS TIMES