SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A luxury yacht that caught fire at the ONE°15 Marina Club in Sentosa Cove on the morning of June 7 was left partially sunk after firefighting efforts concluded.
ONE°15 Marina Club’s management said in response to queries from The Straits Times on the evening of June 7 that the yacht was “mostly submerged in the marina”.
In images captured by ST at about 2pm, around six hours after smoke was first reported from the vessel, most of the yacht was submerged under water.
The seawater in the cove was black, with debris floating on the surface.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post that it was alerted at about 8.10am to a fire involving a yacht that was engulfed in flames.
SCDF’s land-based resources arrived at the scene in seven minutes and immediately deployed a water jet from a pontoon to fight the fire, it said.
But during the initial firefighting effort, the yacht started drifting away from the pontoon, leading SCDF to activate its marine vessel for support.
“At the height of the firefighting operation, two water jets from the pontoon and one water monitor from the SCDF Marine Vessel were deployed,” the agency said.
There were no reported injuries, SCDF confirmed.
In response to queries from ST, a spokesman for ONE°15 Marina Club’s management said smoke was detected from a vessel berthed at its premises at about 8am.
The on-site emergency response team was activated, and the SCDF was called, the spokesman said.
“There are no reported injuries at this time, and we are working with the authorities to bring the situation under control,” he said.
According to CNA, the boat is identified as EagleWings III, a 33.8m superyacht.
The boat can cater to around 50 guests and boasts a dining area and jacuzzi, according to charter listings. It is also used for private and corporate events.
EagleWings Yacht Charter is the chartering arm under EagleWings Group and was founded in 2016 by Julian Theng and his sister, Lisa Theng.
In an Instagram story, he thanked those who sent him messages of concern regarding the incident.
“It was tough seeing EagleWings III go up in flames. So sudden and unexpected that a piece of my heart sank with it,” he said, adding that he was grateful that the crew was safe and no one was injured.
A reader’s photo shared with ST showed thick black smoke billowing from the berthed vessel. Other boats nearby seemed to be unaffected.
In 2018, 15 people were hospitalised, with two women and an infant sustaining injuries, after a similar incident took place at the club.
One of the women was reportedly in a serious condition after the fire, while the infant suffered injuries to the face. -- The Straits Times/ANN
