When Malaysia unilaterally extended Johor Bahru's port limits, Singapore objected.

Malaysia's new boundary lines violated Singapore's sovereignty.

Malaysian government vessels then repeatedly intruded into Singapore territorial waters.

Threat to safety

Singapore also pointed out that these actions threatened the safety of all seagoing vessels in what is a very busy shipping route.

Singapore's Ministry of Transport said in their statement on Dec. 4:

"These actions are unconducive to good bilateral relations, cause confusion for the international shipping community, and lead to increased navigational and safety risks for all parties."

On Feb. 9, it looks like they were unfortunately proven right.

Collision involving Malaysian government vessel

According to Channel NewsAsia, the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) revealed in a statement that a Malaysian government vessel, Polaris, collided with a Greek vessel in Singapore territorial waters off Tuas.

The Greek-registered vessel is a bulk carrier named Pireas. It was travelling from Singapore to Tanjung Pelapas, Malaysia.

It's not confirmed if the Malaysian government vessel Polaris is the same buoy-laying Malaysian government vessel called Jabatan Laut Polaris, that had been previously anchored in Singaporean territorial waters.

Both ships were within the Singapore Port Limits when the collision occured.

MPA said:

"MPA is deeply concerned that the presence of unauthorised vessels in Singapore port limits can cause confusion for the international shipping community and threaten navigational safety in our waters.

MPA is investigating the incident."

News of the Malaysian vessel's collision in Singapore territorial waters were also reported off Malaysian media such as Bernama and Sin Chiew Daily.

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Top image from MPA's Facebook page.