Dangerous Seas
Dangerous Seas
Tankers collide and burn, Container ships sink, oil spills spread, crew members die, insurance premiums rise, safety concerns abound
South China Sea
Search and rescue operations are underway for the crew of two tankers that caught fire in the South China Sea offshore Singapore.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported that the Singapore-flagged vessel Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Ceres I collided and caught fire about 55km northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca on July 19. Available AIS data implies that the Hafnia Nile hit the starboard bow of the Ceres I at a speed of 14.2 knots. A fire broke out on both vessels and MPA requested passing vessels to assist in the search and rescue of the crew.
A Singapore Navy frigate, RSS Supreme in the vicinity assisted with operations rescuing 16 crew members from the Hafnia Nile while another six in a life-raft were picked up by a Malaysian government vessel and transferred to the frigate. All 22 crew members from the tanker are en route to Singapore.
A Singapore-flagged supply vessel Dolphin 1 picked up 14 of the 40 crew members from the Ceres I, two of which were evacuated via a Singapore Air Force helicopter and are currently receiving medical attention at Singapore General Hospital. The remaining 26 crew members are currently conducting firefighting operations onboard.
Salvage and firefighting assets were arranged by both vessel owners as well as subsequent towage of the vessels to safety. MPA said that an additional tug with deep sea towing capacity had arrived on site on Tuesday, joining four other tugs equipped with oil response and firefighting capabilities, adding that Hafnia would arrange for repairs, containment and clean-up. Navigational traffic was not affected.
The Ceres I is owned by Ceres Shipping and managed by Shanghai Property Ship management. It is a 2001-built VLCC and has a 300,000 dwt and has previously been linked to the transport of Iranian crude. According to a preliminary assessment by Malaysian authorities, the Ceres I, which had been accused of fleeing the scene of the collision with its AIS switched off, was at anchor at the time of the incident due to technical issues.
Malaysia’s Marine Department (MMD) said the Hafnia Nile’s attempts to avoid the Ceres I failed, resulting in the collision, and that VLCC’s anchor was cut off in the process, causing it to drift about 30 nautical miles. The vessel was found northeast of Pulau Tioman as two Singapore tugboats attempted to arrest the vessels drift.
Investigations into the accident are ongoing, while Malaysian authorities have warned they have detected a 17 sq km oil slick in the area.
Hafnia Nile, a 2017-built, 74,189 dwt LR1 tanker owned and operated by Hafnia Limited, was carrying around 300,000 barrels of naphtha according to data from Kpler and LSEG. Hafnia stated on Wednesday that further inspections verified a minor oil slick emerging from the damaged area and that the salvage crew that boarded the vessel had transferred equipment from one of the nearby tugs to contain and halt any localised seepage.
Product tanker giant Hafnia is and BW Group company is in discussion with MPA on a safe location to transfer naphtha from the 74,200 dwt Hafnia Nile as well as towage plans for repairs to be approved after checks revealed damage to the ships’ engine room.
Meanwhile, as the damage to both vessels is being estimated, the owner of Hafnia Nile, through Resolve Salvage & Fire (Asia), has appointed Straits Salvage Engineers to carry out salvage work. No oil spill was detected, only an oil sheen suspected to be caused by Hafnia Nile’s bunker tank.
All 22 crew members of the Hafnia Nile were rescued by the Singapore Navy, while the crew of the Ceres 1 remain onboard their vessel.
Read more here.
Arabian Sea
One Seaman dies as firefighters battle blaze on Maersk chartered ship off India
By Adis Ajdin
Indian Coast Guard ships have been tackling a major cargo fire onboard the Panama-flagged Maersk Frankfurt a new-build containership on charter to Danish carrier Maersk in the Arabian Sea. The reported explosions and fire on its front deck occurred off Karwar, Goa, while sailing to Colombo in Sri Lanka. The Indian coast guard’s Dornier aircraft was mobilised to conduct aerial assessments, with an additional aircraft also in position for search and rescue.
“Considering the grave threat posed to Indian coastline, all endeavours are being made to maintain the vessel away and well clear from the coast into deeper seas,” the ICG said.
One seafarer has died in the severe blaze onboard, while Indian Coast Guard ships, helicopters and planes spent the weekend dousing the ship. In its most recent update, the coast guard said three firefighting vessels had been on the job for 12 hours, preventing the blaze from spreading. An additional vessel was dispatched to join the operation by last Sunday.
A statement from the Panama Maritime Authority stated, “The ship’s operator reports a body in the lashing bridge, but it is impossible to reach it because of the flames.”The fire has been suppressed, but there is still much smoke from the front deck of the 5,500 teu vessel.
According to Equasis data, the Imabari built 5,500 teu Maersk Frankfurt unit, delivered in June 2024, is owned by Tokei Kaiun of Japan and managed by a Hong Kong unit of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.
Local media reports suggest that the vessel is carrying some International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) cargo, but Maersk noted at the time that the crew’s safety was its top priority. No casualties were reported.
Maersk confirmed the incident in a statement posted to social media platform X, saying the vessel was in “stable condition”, but that it could not confirm the extent of the fire’s impact. Multiple assets have been mobilised as efforts continue to ensure the ship’s safety and that of its crew.
The coast guard reported that “The vessel is presently 13 nautical miles west of New Mangalore and heading towards open sea.” While the Indian Coast Guard has deployed considerable resources to douse the fire, small blazes are still being reported in a number of containers. From aerial photos of the vessel, soot is distinguishable on containers in the third and fifth rows suggesting the fire was centralised to the fourth row, according to analysis from cargo insurer WK Webster.
While professional salvors are now onboard the vessel to assist the ICG with surveying the damage, developing a plan for the vessel and continued fire-fighting operation. General average has been declared on the badly burnt Maersk Frankfurt. Once the onboard containers are discharged from the vessel at a safe location, they will not be released for on-carriage or delivery until cargo interests have made the required security arrangements through the general average adjusters, Richards Hogg Lindley.
Read more here.
Manila braces for oil spill as tanker sinks
By Bojan Lepic July 25, 2024 (Splash247.com)
A 22-year-old tanker carrying industrial fuel oil capsized and sank 3.6 nautical miles off Lamao Point in the Philippines due to rough seas on Thursday.
The incident which involved the Philippine-flagged TerraNova tanker, carrying 1,494 tonnes of industrial fuel oil, has led to a large oil spill, according to a statement by the Philippine Coast Guard. The tanker capsized around 1:10 am local time while the vessel was on its way to the Iloilo port.
The coast guard rescued 16 of the 17 crew on board while four of the 16 rescued individuals are receiving further medical attention. A search is underway for the last missing crew member.
The Coast Guard Aviation Command is also performing an aerial survey of the oil spill response operations. The oil spill is located around 5.6 nautical miles east of Lamao Point with an estimated length of two nautical miles. One of the possibilities is that the spill could reach the country’s capital Manila which is just 10 km away from the spill.
Marine environmental protection personnel have also been mobilised to combat the oil spill which is being carried by a strong current heading east to northeast. No vessels to combat the oil spill can be currently dispatched due to strong winds and high waves. Only one larger vessel has been dispatched to search for the missing sailor.
The commander of the Philippine Coast Guard, Ronnie Gil Gavan, has ordered an investigation of the incident. The authorities are also investigating if the sinking of the vessel was due to Typhoon Gaemi which has so far flooded parts of Manila and other towns and has taken the lives of at least 14 people.
According to Equasis data, the 1,415 dwt vessel is owned and managed by the Philippine-based company Shogun Ships.
Last year the Phillippines was hit by an oil spill after the product tanker Princess Empress sank with 800,000 litres of industrial fuel onboard.
The Philippine Coast Guard stated in an update that it has deployed three MRRVs to augment the ongoing oil spill response operations. The vessels will start the application of oil dispersants to mitigate the impact, especially during the period when siphoning is being prepared.
An operational target of seven days has been set to finish siphoning the oil from the sunken tanker. The vessel sunk only 34 meters so the siphoning ops will not be very technical and, according to Philippine authorities, can be done quickly to protect the waters of Bataan and Manila Bay.
The coast guard added that it recovered the body of the missing crew member around 3 pm local time.
Read more here.
The Philippines ‘racing against time’ to avert nation’s worst oil spill
By Sam Chambers (Splash247.com)
The race is on just outside the Philippine capital to avert the worst oil spill in the country’s history.
A 22-year-old tanker carrying industrial fuel oil capsized and sank 3.6 nautical miles off Lamao Point in the Philippines due to rough seas early on Thursday morning as Typhoon Gaemi passed.
The incident which involved the Philippine-flagged TerraNova tanker, carrying 1,494 tonnes of industrial fuel oil, has led to a large oil spill, according to a statement by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The tanker capsized around 1:10 am local time while the vessel was on its way to Iloilo port with one crewmember dying.
The subsequent spill could reach the country’s capital, Manila, which is just 10 km away from where the ship went down. A slick has already been detected, growing rapidly to around 8 km.
According to Equasis data, the 1,415 dwt vessel is owned and managed by the Philippines-based company Shogun Ships.
The PCG has deployed three vessels to augment the ongoing oil spill response operations. The vessels will start the application of oil dispersants to mitigate the impact, especially during the period when siphoning is being prepared. Harbor Star Shipping Services has been appointed as the salvor.
An operational target of seven days has been set to finish siphoning the oil from the sunken tanker with a spokesperson for the PCG warning that if all the ship’s cargo leaked, it would become the worst oil spill in the country’s history.
“We are racing against time and we will try to do our best to contain it immediately and stop the fuel from leaking,” he said.
“There is a big danger that Manila will be affected, even the shoreline of Manila if the fuel [leaks] because it is within Manila Bay,” the spokesperson added.
The vessel sunk only 34 m so the siphoning ops will not be very technical and, according to Philippine authorities, can be done quickly to protect the waters of Bataan and Manila Bay.
Last year the Philippines was hit by an oil spill after the product tanker Princess Empress sank with 800,000 litres of industrial fuel onboard.
Read more here.
Second ship sinks in same area of the Philippines in the space of two days
By Sam Chambers (Splash247.com)
In the same area of the Philippines authorities are having to contend with oil spills as a second tanker sank on Saturday evening, just two days after another ship went down.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported over the weekend that they discovered leaks on the sunken tanker Jason Bradley. The small, 39 m long vessel was carrying a cargo of diesel when it sank in shallow depths in Bataan, near where the Terra Novatanker capsized and sank on Thursday, in close proximity to the capital, Manila, spilling significant volumes of oil.
In total, a slick spread over more than 70 sq km has been detected in Manila Bay with salvors working hard to contain the damage from the two incidents.
Read more here.
Philippine oil spill spreads far and wide
By Sam Chambers (Splash247.com)
The oil spill from the Terra Nova tanker that capsized and sank in the Philippines last Thursday has spread far and wide, including entering the waters around the capital, Manila.
The oil slick is now stretching for more than 50 km with local media showing images of blackened seas along the southwest coast of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines.
Operations to contain the hard to plug ship have been made more tricky as a second, smaller tanker sank in nearby waters on Saturday with a small slick recorded around this second site.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has said that divers had sealed most of the Terra Nova’s leaking valves and are close to be able to start siphoning operations.
Terra Nova was carrying 1.4m litres of industrial fuel oil when it sank amid stormy weather off Bataan on July 25, killing a crewmember.
Around 300,000 liters of oil would be siphoned from the tanker over a period of around one week. It will be transferred to Helena Marie, the ship’s sister vessel.
Last year the Philippines was hit by an oil spill after the product tanker Princess Empress sank with 800,000 litres of industrial fuel onboard.
Read more here.
Grounded vessel breaks apart off South Africa
By Sam Chambers (Splash247.com)
The Panama-flagged general cargo vessel, Ultra Galaxy, beached on its side in a remote area of South Africa’s west coast since early July, broke apart into four sections over the weekend in stormy conditions with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) reporting an oil spill.
Some 125 people from local communities have been enlisted to help in the clean up.
The wreck was battered by swells of up to 6.8 m striking every 15 seconds, and the massive force of this constant battering caused the accommodation block to first break off, which then led to a number of larger cracks on the hull, forward of the accommodation.
The 13,800 dwt Ultra Galaxy was built in 2008. According to available data from Equasis, it is owned by Fujita Shoji and managed by Denmark-based dry bulk operator Ultrabulk. At the time of its distress call on July 8, it was en route to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Read more here.
Ultrabulk vessel aground off South Africa
By Bojan Lepic (Splash247.com)
The Ultrabulk-managed general cargo ship Ultra Galaxy, which was abandoned by its crew of 18 seafarers on Monday after a heavy listing, has run aground with efforts to prevent a fuel and oil spill currently underway.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said on Wednesday that attempts are being made to salvage the vessel’s fertiliser cargo as well. The confirmation of the grounding off the coast of Brand se Baai on the West Coast, 385km north of Cape Town, occurred on Tuesday around 10 pm local time.
Preliminary indications are that the vessel has a full load of fertilizer in bags onboard as well as low-sulphur bunkering fuel and hydraulic and related oils.
Salvage operations are currently underway. On Monday, one tug was dispatched and arrived at the location on Tuesday. Another tug with more personnel and extra equipment departed from Cape Town on Tuesday evening to assist in the salvage efforts. Other measures are also being undertaken for the containment of any possible spills of the vessel’s cargo contents.
“We are closely working with SAMSA and the appointed salvors, focusing all efforts on the vessel’s recovery. There are no initial reports of pollution and as a precautionary measure oil spill response equipment and assets have been mobilised although operations are currently hampered by the adverse weather conditions,” a spokesperson of Transworld Fleet Management, the ISM manager of the Ultra Galaxy, told Splash.
Transworld also revealed that the two tugs were standing by near the vessel awaiting a suitable break in the weather to resume operations.
The vessel was located some 60 nautical miles west of Doring Bay when it sent its initial distress call at 3 am local time on Monday. Three ships closest to the casualty vessel – the Fivos, the Rio Grande Express, and the fishing vessel Malachite diverted from their routes to assist.
The entire 18-strong Filipino crew escaped from the listed vessel in a life raft and were rescued by the Malachite and taken to St Helena Bay.
The Panama-registered 13,800 dwt Ultra Galaxy is a 124 m long general cargo vessel built in 2008. According to available data from Equasis, it is owned by Fujita Shoji and managed by Denmark-based dry bulk operator Ultrabulk. At the time of its distress call it was en route to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Read more here.