THE Malaysia Coast Guard said it intercepted Ceres I (IMO: 9229439) in the early hours of Sunday after the very large crude carrier attempted to leave the site of a collision and fire that occurred on Friday off the east coast of Singapore.  

An offshore patrol vessel operated by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency discovered two tugs towing the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker approximately 28 nautical miles off Tioman Island around 0120 hrs local time, the maritime authority said in a statement on Sunday. 

All three vessels were suspected of attempting to leave the scene and have been detained, according to MMEA’s statement.

The statement did not mention the reason why the vessels fled but said further investigations would be carried out.

Meanwhile, MMEA’s aircraft survey found some trace of oil spill at the location of the incident. The country’s Department of Environment has been informed and will carry out further monitoring shortly.

Ceres I was involved in a collision with the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile (IMO: 9766217) last Friday, causing both ships to catch fire.

On the second day of the incident, Ceres I was detected to have left the collision area, MMEA said in a statement on Saturday.

“The IMO registration number of the concerned ship is suspicious and the actions of the concerned ship leaving the incident area are also doubtful,” according to the statement.

Singapore Navy vessel RSS Supreme rescued 22 crew members of Hafnia Nile who were brought to Singapore for further treatment.

The Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore said late on Friday that 14 crew members from Ceres I had been sent to Singapore General Hospital for medical attention, while the remaining 26 crew members were engaged in fire-fighting operations on board.

The cause of the incident remains unclear. Singapore authority said ship traffic in the busy waterway was unaffected.