A collision and subsequent fire incident occurred in the waters approximately 55 kilometers northeast of Pedra Branca Island in the Singapore Strait involving the Singapore-flagged product tanker “Hafnia Nile” and the São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) “Ceres I,” as announced by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on July 19, 2024.
The collision happened at around 6:15 AM on July 19, 2024. The exact cause of the incident is currently unknown. According to the MPA, there were 22 crew members on board the “Hafnia Nile” and 40 crew members on the “Ceres I.” All crew members from both vessels have been accounted for.
Rescue and firefighting operations were carried out by salvage companies arranged by the shipowners and the relevant authorities of Singapore and Malaysia. At present, there are no reported disruptions to maritime traffic in the area.
Data by Kpler
The “Hafnia Nile,” an LR1-type product tanker, was built in 2017 at a shipyard in South Korea and has a deadweight tonnage of 69,999. It is operated by Hafnia, a major shipping company under the BW Group in Singapore. According to vessel data company Q88, the owning company is BW Aldrich, and the vessel management company is BW Fleet Management.
The “Ceres I” is a VLCC with a deadweight tonnage of 300,000, built-in 2001 at a Japanese shipyard. According to VesselsValue, the ship is owned and managed by Shanghai Prosperity Ship Management, a Chinese shipping company.
Reuters reported, based on information from Malaysian authorities, that the “Ceres I” had its AIS (Automatic Identification System) turned off, suggesting it might have been involved in transporting cargo for sanctioned countries. The vessel was in ballast (empty) at the time of the incident. The “Hafnia Nile” was carrying naphtha and was en route from Spain to Japan.
MarineTraffic, a subsidiary of European data analytics firm Kepler, analyzed AIS data to determine the circumstances at the time of the incident. According to this data, “Ceres I” had indications of transporting sanctioned cargo in the past 24 months.
Local newspaper reports stated that after the incident, “Ceres I” attempted to flee the scene while being towed by a tugboat. It was found off the coast of Tioman Island, Malaysia, and captured by a patrol vessel of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency shortly after 1 AM on July 21
〆シンガポールでＶＬＣＣと石油製品船が衝突した
シンガポール海峡のペドラ・ブランカ（Pedra Branca）島の北東約55キロメートルの海域で、シンガポール船籍のプロダクトタンカー「Ｈａｆｎｉａ Ｎｉｌｅ」とサントメ・プリンシペ（São Tomé e Príncipe）船籍の大型原油タンカー「Ｃｅｒｅｓ Ｉ」の衝突・火災事故が発生した。シンガポール海事港湾庁（ＭＰＡ）が２０２４年７月19日発表した。
衝突事故は２０２４年７月19日午前６時15分ごろに発生した。事故の原因など詳細は現時点で不明である。ＭＰＡの発表によると「Ｈａｆｎｉａ Ｎｉｌｅ」には22人の船員が乗船していた。「Ｃｅｒｅｓ Ｉ」には40人の船員が乗船していた。2隻とも乗組員の全員の安否が確認された。
“Photo courtesy: the fire-stricken ‘Hafnia Nile’ (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency), Data by Kpler.”