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Over 7,000 illegal boats stopped from intruding into Singapore's waters in 2014

Xinhua, July 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

The large number and variety of vessels in Singapore's waters, one of the world's busiest sea lanes, poses challenges to the country's maritime security forces, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Tuesday.

Singapore's Coast Guard revealed that a total of 46 illegal immigrants were arrested in 2014, with more than 7,000 boats successfully stopped from intrusion into Singapore's waters.

Teo Chee Hean, who is also Singapore's minister of home affairs, mentioned the challenges for maritime security at the launch of two new police boats, reported the Strait Times.

Teo said such sea crimes are increasingly sophisticated and well-organized. They now employ decoys and camouflage, conduct reconnaissance, and use faster boats that attempt to breach the maritime defence or make dangerous maneuvers to evade arrest. Therefore, it remains important that the Police Coast Guard stays ahead of the worrying trends.

Singapore's Police Coast Guard (PCG) commissioned its new Patrol Interdiction Boats (PIB) and 2nd Generation PK Class High Speed Interceptors boats on Tuesday. The new boats are faster than the current ones, which will provide the police with significantly improved interception capabilities.

By February next year, 11 PIBs and six second Generation PK Class High Speed Interceptors will be added to the PCG's current fleet. Endi