Fatal Southern Islands boat collision: Tower Transit pays tribute to long-serving colleague

About 100 Tower Transit staff members gathered to bid farewell to engineering supervisor Chua Muhammad Syafidi.

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SINGAPORE: Tower Transit Singapore has paid tribute to its employee, whose body was found on Mar 30 after a collision between a pleasure craft and a supply vessel near the Southern Islands.

The man, identified as Chua Muhammad Syafidi, was reported missing after the Mar 27 incident.

In a Facebook post on Sunday (Apr 5), Tower Transit said about 100 staff members gathered to bid farewell to Syafidi.

Syafidi had worked at the company for 10 years.

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"Through dedication and hard work, he rose from vehicle technician to engineering supervisor," Tower Transit said.

"He was a talented and creative engineer who loved to learn and grow."

The bus operator added that Syafidi had just completed a part-time diploma in operations and engineering management, and was looking forward to his graduation ceremony on May 5.

Tower Transit paid tribute to his "creative spirit", noting that his "most visible legacy" is a life-sized replica bus he built from scratch, now holding a "place of honour" in the Bulim Bus Depot lobby.

"But he will be remembered most for the kindness he showed his colleagues, his readiness to lend a hand, and his ever-present smile," it said. 

"Tower Transit Singapore offers our deepest condolences and support to Syafidi’s wife, children and relatives."

Syafidi's sister also paid tribute to her brother on Instagram, remembering him as someone who was "always there for everyone".  

A body believed to be Syafidi was found floating off the sea of Karimun, Indonesia near the Southern Islands, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Sunday.

SPF was alerted to the discovery by the Indonesian authorities on Mar 30 at about 3pm.

A 49-year-old man was arrested for rash navigation of a vessel and police investigations are ongoing

The collision between the pleasure craft and the supply vessel took place off the Southern Islands at around 4.15am on Mar 27, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in an earlier statement. 

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