Malaysia Coast Guard intercepts oil tanker Ceres 1 involved in collision near Singapore

Malaysian maritime authorities said July 21 they have intercepted the oil tanker Ceres 1, which had allegedly left the site of a collision with another tanker two days earlier that resulted in "traces of an oil spill."

The Ceres 1 tanker, a Sao Tome and Principe-flagged VLCC, was found 28 nautical miles northeast of Malaysia's Tioman Island, and two tugboats leading Ceres 1 were also arrested, Malaysian Coast Guard officials said in the statement. Malaysia intends to investigate the "relaunch" of Ceres 1, apparently referring to its disappearance from vessel tracking services and then reconnecting, with the Coast Guard accusing the ship of "trying to run away."

The Ceres 1 collided with the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile, a Long Range 1 tanker, early morning July 19, causing both ships to catch fire and rescue operations for the crews to be launched by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The cause of the incident remains unclear. Singapore authorities said ship traffic in the busy waterway was unaffected.

The Hafnia Nile, operated by Hafnia, was carrying up to 60,000 mt of naphtha for Cepsa, loaded at its energy park in Huelva, Spain, with market sources telling S&P Global Commodity Insights the vessel was headed to the Far East, with an option to discharge in Japan. Cepsa declined to comment on the original destination of the cargo.

The Ceres I typically undertakes back-to-back voyages carrying crude after ship-to-ship transfers from the Singapore-Malaysia vicinity or outer port limits to China recently, trade sources said.

The ship, operated by China's Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management, has previously carried Iranian crude, which is subject to US sanctions, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea.(opens in a new tab)