When The Straits Times arrived at the scene at around 4.10pm, police and SCDF vehicles could be seen near the entrance to Woodlands Waterfront Park.

Police Coast Guard and MPA boats could also be seen on the water near the jetty.

The MPA did not give the time of the incident or when it received a report.

The Chinese-language media institute Lianhe Zaobao reported that the incident occurred around 10 a.m. and that the company responsible for cleaning the dirt from the surface of the water reported a male employee missing.

In the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment’s June 2022 National Marine Litter Action Strategy, flotsam is defined as any floating object of reasonable size, including tree trunks, plastic bottles, shells, drums, floating pontoons and dead fish.

The MPA deploys nine clearance vessels daily to ensure the safety of navigation in Singapore waters, the document added.

• additional reporting by Azmi Athni