Blazing oil tankers in Singapore Strait spotlight perils of dark fleet ships

Hafnia Nile, a Singapore-flagged refined-products tanker, and Ceres I, a crude oil tanker sailing under the flag of Sao Tome & Principe, are 55km (34 miles) northeast of the tiny island of Pedra Branca, at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire, though the ageing Ceres I in particular underlines the environmental and human risks that come with the expansion of a so-called dark fleet of older vessels moving sanctioned crude through one of the world’s busiest waterways. Ship-to-ship transfers of oil are relatively common occurrences in the waters off the southern part of the Malaysian peninsula.

Singapore’s maritime authority has asked for help from passing craft in the search and rescue of the crews. A navy ship, the RSS Supreme, is nearby and is also providing assistance, along with a Singapore military helicopter, it said.

Two crew members were sent to the Singapore General Hospital, according to a separate statement by the air force posted on social media that did not provide details about their injuries.

Singapore’s navy posted photos on Facebook showing thick black smoke coming from the burning vessels and rescued crew members being helped onto the RSS Supreme.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse