Malaysia Intercepts Oil Tanker Involved in Collision and Fleeing Incident
In a dramatic turn of events, Malaysia has intercepted a large oil tanker that was involved in a collision with another ship before fleeing the scene and turning off its tracking system. The coastguard has located and detained the vessel, named Ceres I, sailing under the flag of São Tomé and Príncipe, along with two tugboats that were towing it off the country’s eastern coast.
The collision occurred with the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile on Friday, resulting in both ships catching fire. Fortunately, officials in Singapore were able to rescue all crew members from both vessels.
Malaysia’s coastguard revealed that Ceres I had immediately left the location after the collision, which caused a blaze and injured at least two crew members. The incident took place about 55 km northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca, according to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Zin Azman Mohamad Yunus, the head of the Malaysian coast guard’s search and rescue team, has not provided a reason for why the tanker attempted to flee. However, he mentioned that further investigations would be conducted.
After rescuing around 40 crew members from the burning ships, approximately 26 individuals remained on board Ceres I to combat the fire. The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile was reportedly carrying naphtha, a highly flammable type of petroleum.
The cause of the collision remains unclear, but Singapore maritime authorities assured that ship traffic in the busy waterway was unaffected. Nevertheless, Malaysian coastguard officials discovered an oil spill covering approximately 17 square kilometers.
Reports suggest that Ceres I is a large crude oil-carrying supertanker that may be part of a ‘dark fleet’, transporting oil from countries under sanctions. Market intelligence service S&P Global Commodities at Sea indicated that the ship, operated by China’s Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management, has previously transported Iranian crude, which is subject to US sanctions.
As investigations continue into this alarming incident, authorities are working to determine the full extent of the damage and potential environmental impact caused by the collision and subsequent oil spill.
