SINGAPORE - The police have arrested 36 people for an unlawful attempt to enter Singapore by sea.

A boat used for smuggling the 33 men and three women - aged between 22 and 56 - was also seized, the Police Coast Guard (PCG) said in a statement on Tuesday (July 21).

The unlit craft had been spotted moving south of reclaimed land off Tuas last Saturday (July 18) at 8.16pm. PCG officers subsequently intercepted it.

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police and PCG commander Hsu Sin Yun said: "The successful detection and arrest of the 36 subjects is testament to PCG's resolve to safeguard our territorial waters, despite the challenging nature of our operating terrain."

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The PCG launched two new vessels, a patrol interdiction boat (PIB) and a second generation PK class high speed interceptor, on Tuesday.

Eleven PIBs and six second generation PK class boats are due to be added to the PCG fleet by next February.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who was at the launch, said more than 7,000 suspicious vessels were stopped from entering Singapore's waters in 2014. A total of 46 illegal immigrants were also apprehended.