The Hafnia Nile, a 228m-long and 32m-wide tanker, was carrying up to 60,000 metric tonnes of naphtha, a highly flammable mixture used to make petrochemicals, according to data from analytics firm Kpler.
It was on its way to Kashima, Japan, while the Ceres I was without cargo and on its way to Langshan, China.
Operated by China’s Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management, Ceres I is categorised as a very large crude carrier (VLCC) – among the biggest out there, and capable of carrying around two million barrels.
In the wake of the collision, a maritime analyst identified the Ceres I as a “serial spoofer”, a term that refers to ships that deliberately manipulate AIS data to disguise their actual location.
Ceres I also discharged heavy Iranian crude in the waters off eastern Malaysia around June, according to maritime information service Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s principal analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann.
“The area is well-known for storage and ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil destined for China,” she noted.
Iran’s Ministry of Petroleum has issued a statement saying the Ceres I was not carrying Iranian crude oil.
Asked if the authorities would investigate various allegations against Ceres I, Capt Halim said that the priority now is on the incident and the safety of the vessels.
“We haven’t come to (that) stage. The priority is to keep the vessels afloat, especially the Hafnia Nile,” he said, adding that Malaysia is working with Singapore authorities on this.
The initial investigation has detected no oil spill, only an oil sheen suspected to be caused by the Hafnia Nile.
“The salvor placed an oil boom around the Hafnia Nile vessel to control the situation. No oil spill from the Ceres I vessel was reported,” he said.
All 22 crew members of the Hafnia Nile were rescued by the Republic of Singapore Navy’s RSS Supreme.
The Ceres I’s crew members are still on board the ship, Capt Halim said.
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