An oil spill has been seen in the Strait of Malacca following a collision between a bulk carrier and an ultra large container vessel; the incident may have been caused by steering mechanism failure on board the bulk carrier vessel according to authorities
The Malaysian Coast Guard reported that the collision occurred 14.1 nautical miles southwest of the Malaysian town of Kuala Sungai, between the bulker Galapagos, and the Ocean Network Express (ONE) box ship Zephyr Lumos.
At three minutes after midnight, Coast Guard Adm. Nurul Hizam Zakaria reported that his organization received a distress call from Zephyr Lumos. The Indonesian National Search and Relief Agency received a second distress call from Galapagos.
The Malaysian Navy was dispatched to assist the vessels.
Zephyr Lumos struck Galapagos on its starboard side, leaving a deep gash on the hull of the bulk carrier and damage to the bow of Zephyr Lumos. Photos from the Malaysian Coast Guard show Galapagos with a slight starboard list following the collision.
Based on an initial inquiry, coast guard reports cited a rudder failure in Galapagos as the main reason behind the accident.
Coast Guard Adm. Nurul Hizam Zakaria said, "The Malta-registered Galapagos was reported to be experiencing a steering system failure, forcing it to move to the right as the UK-registered Zephyr Lumos was overtaking it."
However, in a statement, Galapagos’ owner denied the rudder failure report and accused the Zephyr Lumos crew of launching an unsafe overtaking manoeuvre.
Reports indicate that no seafarers were injured in the incident. However, images taken after daybreak show a layer of oil on the water surface, with both the Malaysian Department of Environment and the Marine Department investigating the case.
Both vessels reportedly were held following the incident, and the incident will be subject to further investigation. The ONE-operated Zephyr Lumos was reportedly released by the Malaysian Coast Guard and is en route to Piraeus.
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