Malaysia Apprehends Shadow Tanker After it is Towed from Scene of Accident
The mystery around Friday’s casualty involving a Hafnia chemical tanker and a VLCC near the eastern side of the Singapore Strait deepened as Malaysia confirmed it was searching for the Chinese-owned crude oil tanker. Overnight on Sunday, Malaysian Maritime apprehended that tanker as it was being towed, along with two tugboats.
Malaysian officials told a press event on Saturday that they had numerous concerns about the VLCC Ceres 1, which is registered in São Tomé and Príncipe. During the briefing, officials said, “So far, Malaysian Maritime has not been able to confirm the actual condition of the ship and crew of MT Ceres 1 since it is not contactable.”
At approximately 0120 Sunday, July 21, one of Malaysian Maritime’s patrol boats detected and overtook the Ceres 1 at a position 28 nautical miles northeast of Tioman Island, which would be as much as 80 nautical miles north from the position where the two vessels made contact on Friday morning. The offshore patrol vessel KM Pekan also took into custody two tugs that were towing the damaged VLCC.
Malaysian video from Friday showing Ceres 1 during the rescue effort
Malaysia had dispatched two offshore patrol boats to the area on Saturday only to discover that the Ceres 1 was no longer at the scene of the accident, which was approximately 25 nautical miles east of Malaysia. The officials accused the Ceres 1 of turning off its AIS signal and moving from the scene of the accident. They were also using an amphibious aircraft aloft to search for the tanker, which they believed was still likely in Malaysian waters.
“Information and review of MRSC Johor Bahru together with the Malaysian Maritime Department also found the IMO registration number of the concerned ship is suspicious and the actions of the concerned ship leaving the incident area is also doubtful,” Malaysian Maritime said in its statement.
On Friday, a Singapore-flagged supply ship, Dolphin 1, responded to the distress calls and a call for assistance from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and rescued 14 crewmembers from the Ceres 1 shortly after the incident. Two of the crewmembers were airlifted by the Singapore Air Force to a hospital for further treatment while the reports said 26 crewmembers remained aboard the Ceres 1 to continue the firefight.
The Ceres 1 has widely been linked to the sanction-busting trade in Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil. Ownership is reported as a company in Hong Kong, but reports said its P&I insurer was unclear. Iran’s Energy Ministry issued a statement on Saturday saying it did not have oil aboard the Ceres 1 contradicting prior reports that the vessel was loaded with as much as 2 million barrels of crude. Images of the tanker from Malaysia’s video show the Ceres 1 riding high, confirming it had offloaded before the incident.
Malaysian video showing extensive damage to the Hafnia Nile
Analysis of the tracking data shows the Hafnia Nile traveling at 14 knots before the casualty. AIS transmissions from the Ceres I appear to suggest that it was at anchor, based on data provided by Pole Star, but its traffic history showed irregularities consistent with extensive spoofing, according to Lloyds Intelligence.
The Hafnia Nile was abandoned with its crew taken to Singapore. Hafnia in a statement said two crewmembers had suffered minor injuries. The fire aboard the product tanker which was loaded with 300,000 barrels of naphtha according to Kpler and LSEG caused extensive damage on the port quarter of the vessel.
Malaysia reports it has also spotted an oil slick in the area of the impact. They are now leading the investigation into the circumstances of the incident.