Tanker Collision Spills 2,000 Tons Oil Towards Singapore

[SNAblog]

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...ls-2-000-tons-oil-off-singapore-update2-.html

Tanker Collision Spills 2,000 Tons Oil off Singapore

By Yee Kai Pin and Jane Lee

May 25 (Bloomberg) -- A tanker collided with a bulk carrier off Singapore’s southeastern coast, spilling 2,000 metric tons of crude oil near the world’s busiest port.

The MT Bunga Kelana 3 tanker collided with the MV Waily at about 6:10 a.m. local time in the Singapore Strait, 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of Changi East, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. About 140,000 vessels call at Singapore each year, it said on its website. The city-state is also Asia’s biggest center for oil storage and bunkering.

“If you have an oil spill in a harbor, a populated area, it’s going to cause some concern,” said Stuart Traver, a downstream adviser at energy consultants Gaffney, Cline & Associates Ltd. in Singapore. “Two thousand tons of oil is not small -- most environmental organizations get upset about even smaller slicks.”

The spill is equivalent to 14,660 barrels or 616,000 U.S. gallons, almost enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool. BP Plc estimated a damaged Gulf of Mexico oil well has been leaking 5,000 barrels a day since an April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which killed 11 workers. Independent scientists have told the U.S. Congress crude oil was coming out at more than 10 times the estimate.

Vessels Anchored

The two ships remain anchored in the Singapore Strait, the Maritime and Port Authority statement said. “Work is ongoing to contain and clean up the oil spill.”

AET Tanker Holdings Sdn., the owner of the Bunga Kelana 3 and a unit of Malaysia’s MISC Bhd., is working to “minimize the damage from the oil that’s leaked,” said Paul Lovell, a spokesman for AET Tanker.

“A number of oil-retaining booms have been deployed,” Lovell said by telephone. “These were done by specialist companies retained by the company. We’re doing all we can. There were no casualties on Bunga Kelana 3. We had 27 crew on the vessel.”

The Malaysia-flagged Bunga Kelana 3, classed as a Long Range 2 tanker, was built in 1998 with 12 cargo tanks, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It has a double hull, a design meant to prevent oil leaks or flooding beyond the outer compartment.

The vessel is sitting in 11.4 meters of water, compared with its draft of 14.9 meters, based on transmissions captured by AISLive on Bloomberg. This indicates it’s fully laden.

“At this stage, the impact could be relatively mild,” Traver said. “It’s not the same of course as a spewing oil well which won’t stop -- presumably this is it, this is over.”

Treasure Marine Ltd. is the beneficial owner of the Waily, Bloomberg data showed. The 25,449-deadweight ton vessel, flying a St. Vincent & The Grenadines flag, was built in 1983.


Related:
Ship collision off Singapore causes spill - CNN.com
Tanker in collision carrying light crude, condensate - Reuters
Ship collision causes oil spill off Singapore coast - Wire Update News
Oil leaks from tanker collision off Singapore - BBC News
Singapore oil spill after ships crash - The Sydney Morning Herald
Collision off Singapore spills oil - Al Jazeera English
Tanker and bulk carrier collide causing large oil spill - Telegraph.co.uk
Oil spills off Singapore after tanker collision - Forbes.com
Malaysian Tanker Collides With Bulk Carrier In Singapore Strait - Bernama.com
Ships Collision Results in Oil Spill in Singapore Strait - CRIEnglish.com
Oil spills after ships collide off Singapore - Monsters and Critics

 

[SNAblog]

This is an accident that was waiting to happen. Despite the red flag being raised many times about the congestion off Singapore shores, Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore had being issuing denial after denial. Now this.

http://www.allenchartering.com/news-detail.php?Singapore-says-anchorages-not-dangerously-blocked-33

Singapore says anchorages not dangerously blocked

20th May, 2009

The Singapore authorities have hit out again over reports that its port waters are dangerously congested with idle ships.

The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore stated that while the port's anchorages are busy they are not overcrowded, but took aim at owners anchoring vessels outside port limits (OPL).

MPA group director M Segar said there were 400 to 500 vessels anchored in port daily, which while higher than last year, was only about a 65% utilisation rate.

Capt Segar stated that 95% of the ships are anchored for less than 10 days and repeated earlier statements by the port authority that there are no laid-up ships in Singapore port waters.

"There have been no lay ups in our port, and our port dues are structured to actively discourage laying up in our port," he said.

According to the MPA, the number of reported incidents at port anchorages so far this year was nine, the same as the previous year.

However, the MPA warned on the risk to navigational safety caused by around 150 ships anchored OPL. Singapore's eastern and western OPL anchorages are thin strips between the edge of the port waters and the traffic separation scheme, which are popular with owners as they do not have to pay port dues.

Where vessels have strayed into the traffic separation scheme (TSS), the MPA has been taking action.

"For ships anchored in the TSS of the Singapore Straits, the Singapore vessel traffic system actively reports them to their respective flag administrations, and also ship owners where possible, for appropriate action as these ships are violating the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea," Capt Segar said.

However, the MPA noted that most vessels anchored OPL were not in the TSS but anchored "indsicriminately".

"The Singapore vessel traffic system actively advises these ships against doing so, as such indiscriminate anchoring poses a risk to navigational safety, even though they are outside the TSS," he said.

An increase in incidents OPL was noted this year with 16 minor incidents so far this year, four more than the same period last year.

"For areas beyond our port waters, we urge shipowners and flag states to take serious action against errant shipmasters who anchor their ships indiscriminately there, so as to help reduce the navigational risks in these locations," Capt Segar said.

"We will also be working with Malaysia and Indonesia to address this issue at the International Maritime Organization."

 

[Tiu-leh-see-fart]

No wonder the smell at the east is so bad, marine parade worse !

 

[Watchman]

Holy shit !

I just thought this might just come !