The serious collision off the coast of Singapore on Friday took another turn over the weekend, with one of the vessels involved fleeing the scene and subsequently detained by authorities in neighboring Malaysia.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) reported that the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker Series 1 caught fire about 55 kilometers northeast of Pedra Blanca on Friday morning during a maritime search and rescue in Singapore.
Chinese VLCC involved in Singapore tanker collision apprehended in Malaysia
According to Kpler and LSEG data, the Hafnia Nile was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha. While the supertanker Ceres I, previously used to transport Iranian crude, was empty. Available AIS data showed that the former collided with the starboard bow of the latter at a speed of 14.2 knots.
Hafnia Nile is a 74,189-ton LR1 tanker built in 2017, owned and operated by Hafnia. The 23-year-old Ceres I is owned by Ceres Shipping and managed by Shanghai Zhiye Ship Management Co., Ltd.
Surprisingly, the 300,000-ton supertanker tried to flee the scene. It turned off its automatic identification system and used a tugboat to escape before being captured by the Malaysian Coast Guard.
The accident investigation is still ongoing, and Malaysian authorities have warned that an oil spill covering 17 square kilometers has been found in the area.
