All 22 crew members from Hafnia Nile and 40 from Ceres I were rescued, MPA said, while 14 crew members from Ceres I were evacuated by a Singapore Air Force helicopter while 26 crew members were conducting firefighting operations on board.
Hafnia said on Saturday it was in talks with Malaysian authorities over the protected relocation of the tanker Hafnia Nile after the vessel caught fire after colliding with one other tanker within the South China Sea on Friday.
A Hafnia spokesman said in an emailed statement that rescue specialists boarded the Hafnia Nile and established a towing reference to one among the tugboats involved within the disaster.
“The initial assessment on board the vessel confirms that no visible flames were observed,” she said. “Contamination levels around the vessel are still undetermined.
The Chinese owner of Ceres I could not be reached for comment.
A video released by the Malaysian Coast Guard shows the charred tanker Hafnia Nile floating in the water, which is flagged for Singapore. The Coast Guard said the footage was taken on Saturday.
Hafnia, the operator of the Hafnia Nile, said Friday that a tugboat had arrived on the scene to help the vessel drifting toward open sea. Specialist tugboats were sailing to join the firefighting effort.
Hafnia also said it was cooperating with Singapore in the ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
Ceres I is a very large crude oil carrier (VLCC) that was carrying about 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, according to the latest ship monitoring data.
Matt Stanley, head of market engagement for EMEA and APAC at Kpler, said on Friday that Ceres I had “disappeared” multiple times, referring to situations when vessels switched off their AIS tracking transponders.
The 74,000-dwt Panamax tanker Hafnia Nile was carrying about 300,000 barrels of oil, in keeping with ship tracking data from Kpler and LSEG.
Singapore is Asia’s largest oil trading hub and the world’s largest bunker port. The waters surrounding it are vital trade routes between Asia and Europe and the Middle East, in addition to a number of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
The Singapore MPA didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on Saturday.
