Image Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

A 56m Benetti has run aground off the coast of Singapore’s Sentosa Island. Australia, which belongs to Aussie mining magnate Clive Palmer, appears to have strayed inside a navigational buoy marking shallow water. 

As per Marine Traffic data, the yacht had logged a voyage to Port Moresby just before the incident occurred. Although the exact cause of the grounding is still uncertain, there is cause to believe that a mechanical issue might have occurred prior to the yacht running aground.

“It’s very difficult to make this kind of mistake, so maybe they had some problem with the motor,” a Sentosa Island local tells The Sydney Morning Herald. “This is just at the exit of the marina, and it is absolutely very clear that you can’t put the boat between those two buoys. You can’t do that. Even if you are a jet skier like me, you know that.”

Clive Palmer’s extravagant yacht, Australia, appears to be sinking, or at least stranded, near the Sentosa Resort in Singapore.

Looks like he’s finally got his own Titanic. 😂#auspol pic.twitter.com/7LQN9n6WWo

— André Haermeyer 🇦🇺🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@AHaermeyer) October 16, 2023

The resident adds that if it has struck sand, rather than the reef, and has not sustained any damage there's a possibility it may be freed by the rising tide late on Monday night, October 16th. The next high tide is expected on Tuesday at 12:38 AM, local time, which offers a chance for its release.

The vessel is stranded around one kilometre from shore in an area marked as five metres deep, with no rescue effort currently taking place on the busy Singapore Strait. 

It is unclear if the owner was on board at the time of the grounding. Palmer runs his resources company Mineralogy via a Singapore-based holding company he established in 2019. 

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