SINGAPORE (AP) – The shipping lanes around Singapore, among the world’s busiest, carry a host of challenges to safe navigation, including a narrow strait, frequently limited visibility and thousands of vessels sailing through daily.
Countless ships have made the voyage in and out of Singapore without incident, but Monday’s pre-dawn collision between a U.S. Navy destroyer and an oil and chemical tanker underlines the risks that normally go unnoticed.
One experienced sailor in the area says a “funnel effect” produces congesting as ships traveling from open seas to the Singapore Strait must slow down significantly.
He says that “while ships have sophisticated equipment, the men on watch are the most important” to ensure safety.