Singapore (Commonwealth Union) _Motor yacht AUSTRALIA ran aground onto a reef near marina in Sentosa island in Singapore, at around 1625 LT Oct 16, after the yacht left marina. The hull of the yacht was breached with ensuing water ingress, she developed a portside list. ‘Australia’ was taken off reef 6 hours later and anchored at anchorage east of Sentosa. As of morning Oct 17, it is understood salvage is ongoing, with tug at her side.
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The superyacht belonging to billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer has been freed and safely anchored off the coast of Singapore after it ran aground and became stranded on Monday night.
It was confirmed by the Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore that it was notified the 56-metre vessel “Australia” ran aground off the Buran Channel near Sentosa Resort at 4.30pm last night (local time).
A photo was posted to X, formerly Twitter of the superyacht seemingly “sinking, or at least stranded” near the resort yesterday by former Australian politician André Haermeyer.
Marine tracking data of the vessel which is registered in Malta also shows that it is now anchored near the resort.
The Guardian understands that the vessel will soon make its way back to Australia.
The Sydney Morning Herald spoke to an onlooker, who described the vessel as going inside a navigational buoy marking shallow water.
On Monday afternoon a superyacht owned by the Australian mining magnate is believed to have run aground in shallow waters one kilometre off the exclusive Sentosa Island, and become stuck off the coast of Sentosa Island in Singapore.
It was reported various Australian media outlets that the yacht named Australia, was reportedly owned by mining magnate and former Australian member of parliament Clive Palmer.
Palmer purchased the 56-metre Benetti which he named ‘Australia’ in 2021 which is worth about A$40 million (S$34.7 million), and boasts luxury features such as a jacuzzi, bars and a VIP suite.
The yacht which departed the Singapore port at 4.25pm (local time) on Saturday had logged a six-day journey to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, according to Marine Traffic data.
A local informed the Sydney Morning Herald they thought mechanical failure was likely the cause of the problem.
They said it was very difficult to make this kind of mistake, and that maybe they had some problem with the motor.
Since this is just at the exit of the marina, it is absolutely very clear that you cannot put the boat between those two buoys even if you are a jet skier.
A Straits Times reader who resides in Sentosa said he realised the yacht was stuck and listing when he looked at the sea at about 5.30pm. He said he was aware that there were a lot of rocks in the channel the yacht was in, with some only visible at low tides.
Director of yacht charter company Wanderlust Adventures, Mr Quek Wee Teck, told ST that this was the second time this month that he had witnessed such an incident in the area.
A Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore spokesman contacted by ST said that the Maritime Safety Control Centre, which the authority operates, was notified of the incident at about 4.30 pm on Monday.
No pollution was reported, and no injury to the crew of the Malta-flagged yacht, which ran aground off Buran Channel near Sentosa.
The spokesman said that the yacht has since been refloated and will be anchoring to facilitate an assessment of damage.
He stated that there was no disruption to port operations as a result of the grounding, and that MPA would be investigating the incident.
It is unknown whether Palmer himself was on the superyacht at the time of the incident. He has been contacted for comment.
