Hafnia Nile, a Singapore-flagged refined products tanker, and Ceres I, a São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged crude oil tanker, are positioned 55 km (34 miles) northeast of the tiny island of Pedra Branca, on the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait.
The owner of the Hafnia Nile said the vessel was involved in a collision with the Ceres I. Twenty-two crew members of the Hafnia Nile and 40 crew members of the Ceres I were rescued, said the Maritime and Port Authority, which was notified of the fireplace at 6:15 a.m.
Photos released by the Singapore Navy show thick black smoke billowing from one in all the tankers and crew being rescued from life rafts and airlifted to hospital.
Two crew members were airlifted to Singapore General Hospital, in accordance with a separate air force statement posted on social media, which didn’t provide details about their injuries.
The 74,000-dwt Panamax tanker Hafnia Nile (IMO 9766217) was carrying about 300,000 barrels of oil, in accordance with Kpler and LSEG ship tracking data.
It was not immediately clear what fuel the Ceres I (IMO 9229439) was carrying. The tanker is a 300,000-dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC) and was last marked as carrying Iranian crude oil between March and April, ship-tracking data showed.
According to LSEG transport data, Ceres I had been in the identical location since July 11 before the fireplace.
The area is thought for getting used by so-called dark fleet vessels to transfer Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions, said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, principal analyst at Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
“Ceres I has repeatedly engaged in the transfer and shipment of Iranian crude oil in violation of U.S. sanctions,” she said.
The Chinese-based owner of Ceres I couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. China has repeatedly said it opposes unilateral sanctions.
Singapore is Asia’s largest oil trading center and the world’s largest bunker port. Its surrounding waters are essential trade routes between Asia and Europe and the Middle East.
Additional information Reuters
