SINGAPORE – A plane carrying 300 passengers “crashed” in the waters off Changi Airport shortly after 2pm on Oct 17, after smoke filled its cabin and the captain made a mayday call.

       Thankfully, this was a drill, and the “survivors” were rescued by the Airport Emergency Service’s (AES) fleet of four newly commissioned rescue craft, which have “improved firefighting, rescue and search capabilities”, said Changi Airport Group (CAG).

       The live drill was part of a crisis simulation exercise, known as Exercise Bobcat, organised by CAG every year to test the airport’s emergency and incident management plans.

       AES, a division of CAG, is responsible for aviation rescue and firefighting, and responds to incidents at the Changi and Seletar airports and Republic of Singapore Air Force bases.

       At Changi Airport, which is mostly surrounded by water, AES’ sea rescue base responds to incidents at sea – like the one described above – that occur within about 10 nautical miles of the Changi Control Tower.

       The four craft have replaced AES’ older fleet of vessels, which were at the end of their service life. A fifth will be added soon.

       The craft – one command craft, two fast craft and one landing craft – were commissioned in September and made their operational debut at Exercise Bobcat 2024. All have top speeds of 40 knots, double that of the retired vessels.

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       The command craft, with the call sign Sea Command, functions as a mobile command centre.

       The 12m-long craft requires three crew members to operate, including a commander whose job is to coordinate the entire rescue operation.

       The craft has room for another 12 passengers and is equipped with cameras that can provide a live video feed of the situation to the Changi Airport Command Centre.

       It also has a navigation and control system that allows it to communicate with aid agencies and those on land waiting to receive casualties.

       Described as the workhorse of the fleet, the 15m-long fast craft offers “greater speed and versatility for rapid-response operations”, CAG said.

       It has two fire monitors, or high-capacity water jets, and can accommodate 19 passengers, almost double the number of the retired craft. The fast craft – call sign Sea Osprey – requires a crew of two to operate.

       The third type of new craft is the landing craft, which has the same core firefighting and casualty management functions as the hovercraft it replaced, and then some.

       It is equipped with two fire monitors and a rescue ramp that can be lowered into the water to receive casualties.

       The craft also has a mass casualty overboard rescue system, akin to a conveyor belt, that allows casualties to be brought on board quickly, without the crew having to physically pull them out of the water.

       It is the only craft that can land on the beach.

       The landing craft – call sign Sea Pelican – is the largest, at 23m long. It can accommodate up to 50 passengers and a crew of three.

       Every craft is also equipped with 15 life rafts, each able to accommodate up to eight people.

       About 500 people and nearly 20 agencies participated in the exercise, including the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Police Coast Guard, Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Ministry of Transport.

       Mr Andrew Ong, deputy commander of AES’ civil division, said: “Safety is a top priority for Changi Airport.

       “Through investing in new equipment, technology and innovation, CAG ensures that the search and rescue capabilities of our AES remain high, and can be counted on to make a positive difference when the unexpected happens.”