Fire-hit tanker enters Malaysia terminal area after being detained by coast guard
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SINGAPORE – A tanker that was involved in a collision near Singapore last week entered the area of Malaysia’s Bertam floating oil terminal on the morning of July 22 after it was intercepted by the local authorities the day before, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed.
The Sao Tome and Principe-flagged supertanker Ceres I left the scene of a fiery collision with another tanker, the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, about 55km north-east of Pedra Branca on July 19 without explanation.
The Ceres I, which was believed to have turned off its tracking system after the accident, was found in Malaysian waters with two tugboats towing it, Malaysia’s coast guard said in a statement on July 21.
The Ceres I and the two tugboats have been detained for further investigation, it said.
The Bertam floating production, storage and offloading terminal is located in the South China Sea off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
Industry experts say the Ceres I is known to have carried Iranian oil in the past, and LSEG and Kpler data showed the supertanker discharged Iranian crude via ship-to-ship transfers in Malaysia’s Linggi transhipment hub in April.
But automatic identification system data on LSEG indicated that the Ceres I, a very large crude carrier capable of carrying about two million barrels of oil, was empty at the time of the collision.
Ship-to-ship transfers are often used to mask the origins of sanctioned oil. Aerial surveys of the scene found minor traces of an oil spill.
“For further action, the two tankers involved will be towed to a safe location to enable further investigation and the cause of the incident will be investigated by the marine department,” acting maritime director of Johor state Kama Azri Kamil said in a statement, without saying where the ships would be taken.
The exact circumstances leading to the incident are unknown.
All 26 crew members who had remained aboard the Ceres I to fight the fires are safe, he added. Fourteen crew members previously evacuated from the Ceres I and the Hafnia Nile’s 22 crew members were safe in Singapore.
Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management is the manager of the Ceres I, according to LSEG data. The company could not be immediately reached by Reuters for comment.
Hafnia, the manager of Hafnia Nile, said in a statement on July 22 that the tanker is stable and in Malaysian waters, and being attended to by four tugs equipped for oil response and firefighting. Another tug, with deep-sea towing capacity, is expected to join the ship soon.
A spokesperson said its checks have not showed any hot spots on the tanker’s external structure, and there are no visible signs of flames or smoke.
The Hafnia Nile, a 74,000-deadweight-tons capacity Panamax tanker, was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha for Japan, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG. Naphtha is a raw material for making petrochemicals.
Singapore is Asia’s biggest oil-trading hub and the world’s largest bunkering port. Its waters are among the busiest sea lanes in the world. REUTERS
