Dramatic Turn of Events in Tanker Collision Off Singapore

Friday's hazardous tanker collision off the coast of Singapore took an unexpected turn over the weekend when one of the involved vessels attempted to flee the scene, only to be apprehended by Malaysian authorities.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported that a fire broke out on both the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile and the São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged tanker Ceres I on Friday morning. The incident occurred about 55 km northeast of Pedra Branca within Singapore’s Maritime Search and Rescue Region.

According to data from Kpler and LSEG, the Hafnia Nile was transporting around 300,000 barrels of naphtha, while the Ceres I, a VLCC previously associated with transporting Iranian crude, was empty. AIS data suggests that the Hafnia Nile struck the starboard bow of the Ceres I at a speed of 14.2 knots.

The Hafnia Nile, a 74,189 dwt LR1 tanker built in 2017, is owned and operated by Hafnia. The 23-year-old Ceres I, a 300,000 dwt VLCC, is owned by Ceres Shipping and managed by Shanghai Property Shipmanagement.

In a surprising move, the Ceres I attempted to flee the scene, turning off its AIS and using two tugs to move away. However, it was eventually intercepted by the Malaysian coast guard.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, and Malaysian authorities have reported detecting a 17 sq km oil slick in the area.