Malaysia’s coast guard intercepts fleeing tanker after collision off Singapore

Malaysia’s coast guard intercepted the São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged tanker Ceres I on Sunday after it fled the collision site with a Hafnia product tanker and turned off its tracking system.

On 19 July, the aging dark fleet very large crude carrier (VLCC) Ceres I collided with the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile, causing fires to erupt onboard both ships.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported that it was alerted at about 0615 hrs to fires on board the Hafnia Nile (IMO: 9766217) and the Ceres I (IMO: 9229439), located about 55km northeast of Pedra Branca within Singapore’s maritime search and rescue region.

Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals from the two tankers indicated their positions were adjacent at the time of the incident.

Hafnia, the vessel operator, confirmed the collision in a statement, noting that all 22 crew members on board Hafnia Nile have been safely rescued and transferred to shore. The cause of the incident has not yet been determined.

“There is no information on pollution as of now. Our primary focus at this time is the wellbeing of our crew members, as well as addressing any potential environmental impact resulting from this incident,” said the company.

The MPA stated that the 40 crew members of Ceres I were also accounted for. Fourteen of them were rescued by a passing supply vessel, while the remaining 26 continued fire-fighting operations on board.

“Salvage and fire-fighting assets have been arranged by both vessel owners to support the fire-fighting efforts and subsequent towage of the vessels to safety. Navigational traffic is not affected,” said the authority.

The 74,189 dwt Hafnia Nile’s last port call was Huelva in Spain, and it had made a brief anchorage stop in Singapore on Thursday after transiting the Malacca Strait.

The 2001-built Ceres I, meanwhile, is part of the dark fleet used for facilitating Iranian trade, engaging in storage and ship-to-ship transfers, based on information from Lloyd’s List. It also appears on Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s dark fleet list.

According to lobby group United Against Nuclear Iran, the VLCC has been used to ship sanctioned crude from Iran, Venezuela, and Russia.

The area where it was anchored is known to be used by about 20 dark fleet tankers for subterfuge transfers of Iranian oil, often while AIS is switched off or the tankers are spoofing their location to obfuscate their activities.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s Seasearcher Advanced Risk & Compliance platform had previously identified Ceres I as engaging in probable AIS spoofing activity.

Vessel-tracking data indicates that Ceres I had its AIS switched on at the time of the accident, but the signals showed an irregular pattern not consistent with a tanker at anchorage.

The beneficial owner information of the ship is unknown. Its registered owner is Hong Kong-based Ceres Shipping Limited, and it is managed by Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data. These firms could not be immediately reached for comment.

According to Lloyd’s List, vessel-tracking data shows Ceres I has long stayed anchored off Singapore and east Malaysia’s Outside Port Limits, occasionally voyaging into Chinese ports, including those in Shandong province, home to many independent refineries known as Shandong teapots.

The ship had changed flags multiple times over the past few years, from Libya in 2019 to Panama in 2020, and then to São Tomé and Principe since January 2021. Its current P&I insurer is unclear.

The incident comes amid growing concerns among regulators and the industry about safety risks posed by dark fleet tankers, which are considered to be in poor condition, lack maintenance, and have inadequate insurance coverage. They are also known to often engage in deceptive practices such as AIS switch-offs and ship-to-ship transfers to dodge sanctions, increasing the risk of accidents at sea.

Malaysian Coast Guard Intercepts Fleeing Tanker

In a dramatic turn of events, Malaysia’s coast guard intercepted the São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged tanker Ceres I on Sunday after it fled the collision site and turned off its tracking system.

The tanker was found in Malaysian waters being towed by two tugboats, and both the tanker and the tugboats have been detained for investigation.

Aerial surveys showed minor oil spill traces at the collision site, and the environment department said it will conduct further monitoring.

Zin Azman Mohamad Yunus, head of the Malaysian coast guard’s search and rescue team, did not provide an explanation for the tanker’s attempted flight, but said further investigations will be conducted.

The collision, which occurred in waters about 55km northeast of Pedra Branca, resulted in fires on both vessels. Singaporean officials reported that all crew members from both ships were rescued.

“A first assessment on board the vessel confirms that no visible flames are observed,” Hafnia said. “Pollution levels around the vessel are still undetermined.”

According to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG, the Hafnia Nile, a Panamax tanker with a capacity of 74,000 deadweight tonnes, was carrying approximately 300,000 barrels of naphtha.

The supertanker Ceres I entered the area of Malaysia’s Bertam floating oil terminal on Monday morning after it was intercepted by local authorities on Sunday, Malaysia’s The Star reported.

The Ceres I, built in 2001, is part of the sanctions-busting “dark fleet” that transports oil from countries under sanctions. The area where Ceres I had been anchored is known to be used by “dark fleet” ships for the transfer of Iranian oil in contravention of US sanctions, Michelle Wiese Bockmann, principal analyst at Lloyd’s List Intelligence told Reuters on Friday.

Matt Stanley, head of market engagement for EMEA & APAC with Kpler, said the Ceres I has “gone dark” numerous times, meaning it has frequently turned off its AIS tracking transponders.

According to the Equasis database, the vessel has been owned and managed by the Chinese company Shanghai Prosperity Management since 2019, Seatrade Maritime news reported.