Malaysia intercepts missing oil tanker off Singapore

Malaysia’s coastguard said Ceres I had left the location immediately after the collision that caused a blaze and injured at least two crew members.

The incident happened about 55 km northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.

The head of Malaysian coast guard’s search and rescue team, Zin Azman Mohamad Yunus, has not explained why the São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged tanker tried to flee, but added that further investigations would be carried out.

The authorities in Singapore said after around 40 crew members were rescued from the blazing ships, around 26 of them remained on Ceres I to tackle the fire.

The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, was reportedly carrying naphtha, a highly flammable type of petroleum.

The cause of the collision is still unclear. Singapore maritime authorities said ship traffic in the busy waterway was unaffected.

However, Malaysian coastguard officials found an oil spill covering around 17 square kilometres.

Ceres I is a large crude oil carrying supertanker. Some reports suggests it could be part of a so-called ‘dark fleet’, carrying oil from countries under sanctions.

A market intelligence service, S&P Global Commodities at Sea, says the ship, operated by China’s Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management, has previously carried Iranian crude, which is subject to US sanctions.