Tanker collision: VLCC detained, Hafnia LR1 tanker awaits tow, traces of oil spotted 

19 July

Singapore’s MPA said it was alerted on the morning of 19 July 2024 to fires burning on board two vessels off Singapores’ coast. According to AIS transponder signals, the vessels, Singapore-flagged LR1 tanker Hafnia Nile and São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) Ceres I, collided about 55 km northeast of Pedra Branca.

The location of the collision is within Singapore’s official maritime search and rescue (SAR) region, according to the MPA, which sent requests to passing vessels to aid in SAR operations and despatched a Singaporean naval vessel and air force helicopter to the scene of the incident.

The MPA has reported recovery of all 62 crew members on board the two fire-stricken vessels.

"All 22 crew on board Hafnia Nile and 40 crew on board Ceres I are accounted for," the MPA said. The Singaporean naval vessel, formidable-class frigate RSS Supreme, was in the vicinity of the incident and picked up 16 crew from Hafnia Nile. The remaining six crew, who were in Hafnia Nile’s liferaft, were picked up by a Malaysian government vessel and transferred to RSS Supreme.

"All Hafnia Nile crew are en route back to Singapore and are receiving medical attention on board RSS Supreme," the MPA said. 

A statement from the vessel’s owner and operator, Hafnia confirmed the incident happened at 06:15 hrs LT on 19 July 2024 and that the business is "actively co-ordinating" with the Singapore Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and has mobilised a salvor to support the ongoing response efforts. 

The company gave similar details with regard to the crew involved and said they have no information with regard to potential oil spill pollution from the incident.

"There is no information on pollution as of now. Our primary focus at this time is the well-being of our crew members, as well as addressing any potential environmental impact resulting from this incident. All relevant authorities have been notified and are responding promptly to the situation. A full investigation will be conducted to determine the root cause," Hafnia said.

Assisting in the recovery of crew from Ceres I, Singapore-flagged supply vessel Dolphin 1, which was in the vicinity of the incident, picked up 14 crew from Ceres I. Two of the crew were evacuated by RSAF’s helicopter and are currently receiving medical attention at Singapore General Hospital, according to MPA.

"The remaining 26 Ceres I crew are currently conducting fire-fighting operations on board [the VLCC]. 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," the MPA said, noting shipping traffic in the area has not been affected by the incident.

Maritime tracking platform MarineTraffic has posted an AIS-based visualisation of the movements of the two tankers in the hours leading up to the collision on social media platform X (see below). The visualisation shows Hafnia Nile sailing at between 12 and 15 knots for at least two hours before apparently striking the stationary VLCC Ceres I. Hafnia Nile’s AIS-based destination was listed as Kashima, Japan. Ceres I has a listing of having been ’at anchor’ since 11 July outside of Singapore’s port limits, to the east of the port (denoted by the acronym EOPL).

While the 2017-built, 74,000 dwt LR1 vessel Hafnia Nile’s owner is a public company, Hafnia, and the vessel is operated within the Hafnia LR tankers pool, Ceres I has a more difficult to trace recent history. According to the Equasis shipping database, the 2001-built, 300,000-dwt VLCC was bought in 2019 by a China-based company, Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management and has not had an inspection since its initial inspection under the Tokyo MoU in 2019, at which point it had five deficiencies listed. Among the deficiencies were two for fire safety breaches, one for inadequate life saving appliances, one for inadequate safety of navigation and one for problems with the vessel’s steering gear.

Reporters at Lloyd’s List have collated internal information and defined Ceres I as part of the so-called ’dark fleet’ of vessels trading in sanctioned cargoes. The vessel, they say, has been used to facilitate trades in sanctioned Iranian crude oil through storage and ship-to-ship transfers. When tankers in the dark fleet engage in transfers of oil to evade sanctions detection, they often do so within relatively close proximity to major trading lanes, turning off their AIS transponders or spoofing the location shown to other vessels and authorities.

The International Maritime Risk Rating Agency lists Ceres I under a ’Critical’ rating, which it defines as being at "high risk for severe incidents/casualties".

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