SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A supertanker has run aground in Indonesian waters just off Singapore and close to a key natural gas pipeline that supplies gas to the Republic, industry reports said.
The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said that the Djibouti-flagged tanker Young Yong had grounded off Takong Kecil in the Riau Islands in the Singapore Strait at around around 2020 hrs on Oct 26. The grounded tanker is not impeding traffic in either the Singapore or Malacca straits.
In a media statement, the MPA said that before the incident, its Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) had sent warnings through its Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) to the tanker on the potential risk of its grounding due to shallow waters. MPA added that it had also alerted the Indonesian authorities immediately after the incident happened.
“The Indonesian authorities are leading refloatation efforts for the tanker, as well as preventive efforts against possible oil spills, as the vessel had grounded in Indonesian waters,” MPA said.
An industry source confirmed to The Straits Times media reports that the incident took place close to a critical natural gas pipeline.
ST has asked the Energy Market Authority (EMA) if the pipeline sustained any damage or is in any danger of being so while the tanker is refloated, or if there was any disruption to supply as a precautionary measure.
ST has also learnt that a Singapore-based company, Singapore Salvage, has been called to assist in the refloating of the 21-year old oil tanker. Phase one of the operation which involves a site survey has been completed, ST understands. The next phase will be the execution of the measures to refloat the tanker.
Media reports said that the tanker was on its way to Mozambique but industry sources told ST the tanker was headed for the popular offshore anchorage called Nipa, just off Batam island, to await orders for its next operation.
“Our understanding is that this vessel was awaiting orders for an operation in Southern Malaysia, in Tanjung Pelepas; we don’t have that it was headed for Mozambique,” one source said.
The Nipa anchorage is primarily used for floating storage, and ship-to-ship transfer operations. It is also commonly used by companies trading in sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
The tanker which ran aground itself has been running regular shuttles between the waters of Southern Malaysia and Indonesia to China.
Emma Li a senior analyst at data intelligence company Vortexa, said that the tanker had frequently called at China’s Shandong port, a key terminal for oil imports. China is the world’s top crude importer. Li said that the vessel had most recently delivered Venezuelan crude oil to China.
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