Mass evacuation of submariners staged in S'pore navy exercise

Exercise Pacific Reach aims to boost global submarine and rescue knowledge, build trust

- Gabrielle Chan

When a submarine malfunctions underwater, fire, flooding or rising pressure can quickly render it uninhabitable and force submariners to evacuate.

In such a worst-case scenario, every minute counts. Rescue teams must locate the escaped submariners and bring the crew to safety before medical complications such as decompression sickness set in.

This was the scenario tested during an in-water mass evacuation exercise held in Singapore, the centrepiece of Exercise Pacific Reach 2025 the largest submarine escape and rescue exercise Singapore has hosted to date.

"The primary concern in a (distressed submarine) scenario would be the well-being of the crew on board," Colonel Fong Chi Onn, deputy exercise director, said, noting that the environment on board may become challenging as it deteriorates due to the release of poisonous gases, among other dangers.

"All actions that we collectively take in a distressed submarine situation is very much a race against time."

Exercise Pacific Reach, being held from Sept 15 to 29 at Changi Naval Base, brings together about 600 navy personnel from 17 countries, including Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. The exercise aims to boost global submarine and rescue knowledge, strengthen interoperability, and build trust among submarine-operating navies.

The 2025 edition is the largest submarine escape and rescue exercise that Singapore has taken part in, measured by the number of participating assets. It is the third time it is hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), after earlier runs in 2000 and 2010. The exercise is held once every three years.

Seven key naval assets are involved this year: three submarines Singapore's RSS Invincible, Japan's JS Kuroshio and South Korea's ROKS Shin Dol-seok and four rescue vessels, namely Singapore's MV Swift Rescue, India's INS Nistar, Japan's JS Chiyoda and Malaysia's MV Mega Bakti.