2 tankers impounded following collision off Johor coast

 

A video posted by the Malaysian coast guard showed the charred Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile afloat after the collision. (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: 

Tankers MT Hafnia Nile and MT Ceres 1 have been impounded while the marine department investigates their collision on July 19, some 25 nautical miles northeast of Tanjung Balau, Johor.

Marine department director-general Halim Ahmed said the case is being investigated under the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952/60.

He said the Ceres 1 was anchored due to technical issues and was struck by the Hafnia Nile causing the port side of the latter to collide with the starboard bulbous bow of the Ceres 1.

As a result of the collision, both vessels caught fire, and the starboard anchor chain of the Ceres 1 broke, causing the ship to drift,

 he said during a press conference.

The Ceres 1 is a chemical/oil products tanker with a crew of 26. It was en route to Lanshan, China, without cargo.

Meanwhile, the Hafnia Nile is an oil products tanker with a crew of 22. It was carrying naphtha en route to Kashima, Japan.

Preliminary investigations revealed no oil spill was detected following the collision, Halim said. He added that a search and rescue operation was activated involving aerial assets from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the air force and the marine police.

“The Ceres 1 drifted approximately 30 nautical miles before being found northeast of Pulau Tioman while it was being towed by two tugboats from Singapore on July 21.

Earlier reports stating that the vessel left the scene after the collision were inaccurate because all systems, including the automatic identification system used to track the vessel, were not operational,

 he said.

Halim said that all 22 crew members of the Hafnia Nile were rescued by the Singapore navy’s RSS Supreme and are currently being treated at a public hospital in Singapore, while the crew of the Ceres 1 remain on board their vessel. None of the crew members are Malaysians. - FMT