Malaysia’s coastguard has successfully intercepted a large oil tanker linked to a collision with another vessel, which subsequently fled the scene and disabled its tracking system.
The detained tanker, Ceres I, flagged under São Tomé and Príncipe, was located alongside two tugboats engaged in towing operations off Malaysia’s eastern coastline. This incident occurred after Ceres I collided with the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, resulting in both ships catching fire.
Authorities in Singapore confirmed that all crew members from the involved vessels were rescued following the collision. The Malaysian coastguard reported that Ceres I left the collision site quickly, which resulted in injuries to at least two crew members.
The collision took place approximately 55 kilometers northeast of Pedra Branca, a Singaporean island, as noted by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Zin Azman Mohamad Yunus, leader of the Malaysian coast guard’s search and rescue team, indicated that an investigation into the tanker’s hasty departure is currently underway.
Out of around 40 crew members rescued from the two ships, approximately 26 remained aboard Ceres I to combat the fire. The Hafnia Nile was reportedly transporting naphtha, a highly flammable type of petroleum.
While the cause of the collision remains unclear, Singapore’s maritime authorities have assured that ship traffic in the busy waterway continues unaffected. However, officials from the Malaysian coastguard reported discovering an oil spill extending over an area of 17 square kilometers.
Ceres I is classified as a large crude oil supertanker, with some reports suggesting possible connections to a so-called ‘dark fleet’ involved in transporting oil from sanctioned nations. Market intelligence services indicate that the ship, operated by Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management in China, has previously been linked to the transportation of Iranian crude oil, subject to U.S. sanctions.
