The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) submarine rescue vessel, MV Swift Rescue, was dispatched on Wednesday afternoon to join in the search for a missing Indonesia submarine. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the ship was dispatched “as fast as she could get ready” after Singapore’s navy chief received a request for assistance from his Indonesian counterpart. A medical team was also added to the regular crew in the event that hyperbaric care is needed.
The German-made KRI Nanggala-402 was on Wednesday conducting a torpedo drill in waters north of the island of Bali before contact was lost. Search efforts are ongoing 60 miles (96km) from Bali for the 53 crew members. Indonesia’s Defence Ministry said that an oil spill was spotted near the submarine’s dive location during an aerial search. At the time it went missing, Nanggala had 53 people on board, including 49 crew members, one ship commander and three weapons specialists.
MV Swift Rescue is a Submarine Support and Rescue Vessel (SSRV) that is operated by the Singapore Navy. It was built by ST Marine, a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering).The vessel is capable of conducting rescue operations in Sea State 5 conditions. Swift Rescue was launched by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) in November 2008. The vessel is equipped with Submarine Escape and Rescue (SMER) capabilities.
The free-swimming submersible DSAR 6 SRV is operated by a two member crew. It can accommodate a maximum of 17 members. The Transfer under Pressure (TUP) chamber installed in the SSRV can hold a maximum of 40 members. It provides instant medical treatment and allows the transfer of rescued mariners from DSAR 6 to Swift Rescue. The ROV system aboard Swift Rescue will assist the crew to find and view the exact location of the distressed submarine (DISSUB) and clear the debris around the DISSUB. The MV Swift Rescue is mounted with a deck crane of 3t safe working load (SWL).