Salvage operation to remove wreck of luxury yacht at Sentosa Cove begins a month after blaze
At around 6pm, workers lifted the top deck of the vessel out of its watery grave at ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove, while the rest of the burnt hull will require more time to remove.
The top deck of luxury yacht Eagle Wings III being lifted out of the water at around 6pm at ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove on Jul 9, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Lim Li Ting)
New: You can now listen to articles.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: Salvage workers have begun to remove the charred remains of a luxury yacht which caught fire at ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove last month, with divers seen attaching ropes to the partially sunken wreck on Thursday (Jul 9).
The 112ft superyacht Eagle Wings III had split into two parts – the top deck and the main hull – during the blaze, according to those involved in the removal operations. The deck was lifted out of the water on Thursday evening.
The yacht, which can accommodate up to 50 guests and was used for private charters and events, caught fire on Jun 7 and sank following firefighting efforts. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
CNA understands that the removal operations were commissioned by the yacht’s owner EagleWings Yacht Charter.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
When CNA arrived at the location at about 9.30am, the wreck of the Eagle Wings III lay on its side in the water, while a towing vessel SSE Danakody was docked alongside.
Mr Nick McLaughlin, general manager of ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove, said in response to CNA: “Preparatory works are being undertaken this week to facilitate ongoing investigations and the safe recovery of the vessel from the marina.”
He said that there is “currently no evidence of damage to marina infrastructure arising from the incident”.
“Following the completion of the recovery operations, the affected berths are expected to resume normal operations,” added Mr McLaughlin.
SALVAGE OPERATIONS UNDERWAY
A security guard told CNA that the SSE Danakody arrived at the marina at about 4pm on Wednesday.
Equipped with a crane, the yellow and blue SSE Danakody vessel — 56m-long and 20m-wide according to public records — is owned by the Singapore Salvage Engineers, a maritime emergency and support services provider.
The green tarp that had covered the wreckage in the past few weeks since the incident had been removed by Thursday morning, revealing the burnt hull on its side.
A green boat from the marina circled the worksite with three crew members onboard observing the efforts which were underway.
Three layers of orange and white floating containment booms encircled the wreckage.
Shouting instructions to each other, workers could be seen securing ropes around the yacht as divers entered the waters near the wreck. Another group of four men were spotted in a smaller boat at the worksite.
The flurry of activity subsided at noon before resuming shortly after 1pm, with the team in the smaller boat attempting to pull the floating booms away from the vessel.
Over the course of the next few hours, workers could be seen attaching more ropes from the crane arm to the wreckage, while divers continued working in the water.
At around 6pm, the crane lifted the top deck portion of the yacht out of the water as a swarm of onlookers gathered at the marina to watch the operation.
As it emerged out of the water, small parts of the blackened mass dislodged, having degraded after being submerged for a month.
It took five minutes for the wreckage to be carefully manoeuvred to the SSE Danakody, where it was lowered slowly. The crew, who were standing a safe distance back, then approached the partial wreck and unclipped it from the crane, their mission for the day accomplished.
CNA understands that the remaining portion of the hull, which is larger and more complicated to remove, will need another two to three more days of preparatory work that will involve placing inflation devices within it.
It is unclear how long the entire operation will take, said those who spoke to CNA.
Shipowner EagleWings Yacht Charter declined to comment when contacted by email and phone.
A staff member from Singapore Salvage Engineers directed CNA’s queries to marine consultancy firm ALC Consulting.
ALC’s managing director, Captain Baharudin Ishak, also declined comment, citing confidentiality issues and legal obligations.
There have been three fire incidents involving pleasure crafts over the past three years prior to the Eagle Wings III incident — once per year from 2023 to 2025, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told CNA.
Pleasure crafts are vessels that are used solely for leisure or recreational purposes.
“All three incidents occurred while the vessels were berthed at the dock. SCDF’s investigations indicated that all three fires were of electrical origin,” it said.
Source: CNA/fb(nj)
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
