Product tanker giant Hafnia is looking to remove the cargo from its fire-damaged ship that was involved in a collision with another tanker off Singapore last week.
The BW Group company is in discussion with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (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.
The Singapore-flagged vessel 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. The Hafnia Nile, which is currently about 100 km from Singapore, was carrying around 300,000 barrels of naphtha, while the Ceres I, a 300,000 dwt VLCC previously linked to the transport of Iranian crude, was empty.
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.
MPA said that an additional tug with deepsea 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.
The incident is still under investigation by Singaporean and Malaysian authorities, while, the Ceres I is detained in Malaysia after fleeing the scene of the collision under tow from two tugboats, and its AIS switched off before being traced down and caught by the Malaysian coast guard.
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