SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said it is investigating a collision between two tankers in Singapore waters on Tuesday that led to a leak of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from one of the ships.

An estimated 1,796 tonnes of butane gas leaked from the LPG tanker involved but this posed no danger to shipping and measures had been taken by the ship’s crew to stop the leak, MPA said in a statement.

“As liquefied butane has a high evaporation rate, MPA has assessed that any leaked butane would have been carried southward away from mainland Singapore, where most of it would have rapidly dissipated to below flammable levels within an hour and pose no risk to shipping,” it said.

The collision was between Singapore-registered LPG tanker Crystal Sunrise, chartered by Japanese firm Gyxis, and a westbound Greece-registered tanker, Astro Saturn, chartered by European trading house Trafigura, market and shipping sources said.

“We can confirm that the Astro Saturn is on TC (time charter) to Trafigura and is carrying fuel oil,” a Trafigura spokeswoman said, without elaborating.

According to data from Thomson Reuters Eikon, Crystal Sunrise is a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) with a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 54,070 tonnes carrying Middle Eastern origin LPG.

Astro Saturn is an Aframax with a DWT of 105,167 tonnes and is anchored at Tanjung Pelepas in Johor, Malaysia, but close to Singapore.

According to MPA, the Crystal Sunrise was picking up her pilot near the designated western pilot boarding ground when the collision took place about one nautical mile south of Tuas Extension.

The vessel sustained damage to her ballast tank in the collision while Astro Saturn sustained damage to her port anchor and bow.

Both ships have been stabilized and no injuries were reported.

But eight staff from PSA Marine, a marine services provider, who were in the vicinity of the collision, were given medical check-ups as a precaution.

All of the crew have since been discharged, MPA said. </s> SINGAPORE - A Singapore-registered tanker collided with a Greece-registered tanker on Tuesday (April 17), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.

MPA had received a report at about 2.30am from the Singapore LPG tanker, Crystal Sunrise, that it had collided with a westbound Greece tanker Astro Saturn.

Crystal Sunrise had been picking up her pilot near the designated western pilot boarding ground when the collision took place about one nautical mile south of Tuas Extension, in Singapore territorial waters.

After the collision, Crystal Sunrise sustained damage to its ballast task.

The master reported that the butane the vessel was carrying had begun to leak from one of the cargo tanks.

The ship's crew stopped the leak. Astro Saturn sustained damages to its port anchor and bow. Both ships have since been stabilised.

An estimated 1,796MT of butane gas had leaked, MPA said.

As liquefied butane has a high evaporation rate, MPA assessed that any leaked butane would have been carried southward, away from mainland Singapore, where most of it would have rapidly dissipated to below flammable levels within an hour.

No risk was posed to shipping, and no injuries were reported on both tankers, MPA said.

As a precautionary measure, eight Port Singapore Authority Marine staff who were in the area of the collision received medical check-ups at the National University Hospital, and all of them have since been discharged. </s> A product tanker carrying fuel oil collided with a gas carrier off Singapore in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Crystal Sunrise is understood to be chartered by Japanese liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) player Gyxis, while Trafigura confirmed to Reuters it chartered Astro Saturn.

Some 1,800 metric tonnes of liquefied butane gas has been leaked as a result, local media reports.

No injuries have been reported to crew of either vessel and both ships are now stable.

Further, the gas leak is understood to have been contained and the spilled butane said to have dissipated quickly.

Any wider impact of the incident is currently unclear and its cause is under investigation. </s> SINGAPORE, April 17 (Reuters) - Two oil products tankers had collided off Singapore coast but the impact of the accident was not immediately clear, industry sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The tankers were identified as Crystal Sunrise, chartered by Japanese liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) firm Gyxis, and Astro Saturn chartered by European trading house Trafigura.

“We can confirm that the Astro Saturn is on TC (time charter) to Trafigura and is carrying fuel oil,” said it’s spokeswoman without elaborating further.

According to data from Thomson Reuters Eikon, Crystal Sunrise is a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) with a deadweight tonne (DWT) of 54,070 tonnes carrying Middle Eastern origin LPG.

Astro Saturn on the other hand is an Aframax with a DWT of 105,167 tonnes and is anchored at Tanjung Pelepas in Johor, Malaysia, but close to Singapore.

Three sources familiar with the Crystal Sunrise had also confirmed that it was carrying LPG belonging to Gyxis. According to the sources, the collision could be minor and no oil spills were expected but this could not be confirmed with the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore who declined to comment on the incident when contacted. </s> SINGAPORE: Two tankers collided off the coast of Singapore on Tuesday (Apr 17), causing a liquefied butane gas leak, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The collision occurred at 2.30am about one nautical mile south of Tuas Extension in Singapore waters.

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The Singapore-registered LPG tanker, Crystal Sunrise, was picking up its pilot near the designated western pilot boarding ground when it collided with the westbound Greece-registered tanker Astro Saturn.

The collision damaged the Crystal Sunrise’s ballast tank, causing its butane cargo to start leaking from one of the cargo tanks, while the Astro Saturn sustained damage to its port anchor and bow.

Though an estimated 1,796 metric tonnes of butane gas had leaked, MPA said any leaked butane, which has a high evaporation rate, would have been carried southward away from mainland Singapore, where most of it would have rapidly dissipated to below flammable levels within an hour and pose no risk to shipping.

No injuries have been reported, but eight PSA Marine staff who were in the vicinity of the collision have received medical check-ups at the National University Hospital, and all of the crew have since been discharged.

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MPA is investigating the incident.



The Straits of Singapore and Malacca are one of the world’s busiest sea lanes and has seen some high-profile incidents recently such as US Navy ship John S McCain colliding with an oil tanker resulting in the deaths of 10 US sailors last August.

In September last year, five crew members died after a dredger and a tanker collided in Singapore waters.



On Monday, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*STAR) Institute of High Performance Computing, Singapore Management University (SMU) and Fujitsu announced that they are in the process of developing predictive tech to prevent ship collisions. </s> Smoke and fire is seen from Panama-registered tanker SANCHI carrying Iranian oil after it collided with a Chinese freight ship in the East China Sea, in this still image taken from a January 7, 2018 video. — Reuters pic BEIJING, Jan 8 — An Iranian oil tanker ablaze off the Chinese coast is at risk of exploding or sinking, authorities said this morning, as they reported there was no sign of survivors 36 hours after the vessel erupted in flames.

A huge fire was still raging around the stricken ship, which had been carrying 136,000 tonnes of light oil, with fierce heat and thick black smoke billowing from the vessel and the surrounding sea.

Rescuers attempting to reach the crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis were being beaten back by toxic clouds, China’s transportation ministry said.

The Panamanian-flagged 274m tanker Sanchi is “in danger of exploding or sinking,” the ministry said.

The accident happened on Saturday evening 160 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

The tanker, operated by Iran’s Glory Shipping, was heading to South Korea when it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, the CF Crystal, carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain.

Ten government vessels and “many fishing ships” were helping with the ongoing rescue and clean up effort, the transportation ministry said, adding that a South Korean coast guard ship was also on the scene.

A US Navy aircraft participated in the search on Sunday, scouring a large area before returning to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Iran’s Petroleum Ministry said the tanker belongs to the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and was delivering its cargo to South Korea’s Hanwha Total.

The ship and its cargo were insured, a statement said.

It was the second accident in less than two years involving a tanker owned by the NITC. In August 2016 an Iranian supertanker and a container ship collided in the Singapore Strait, causing damage to both vessels but no injuries or pollution.

Saturday’s collision was the latest fatal maritime accident to hit East Asia in recent years. — AFP </s> An Iranian oil tanker has collided with a bulk freighter and caught fire off China's east coast, leaving the tanker's entire crew of 32 missing and causing oil to spill into the sea, authorities say.

Chinese authorities dispatched police vessels and three cleaning ships to the scene after the collision, which happened late on Saturday.

The South Korean coast guard also sent a ship and a plane to help search for the missing crew members — 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.

The Panama-registered tanker Sanchi was sailing from Iran to South Korea when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal in the East China Sea, 257 kilometres off the coast of Shanghai, China's Ministry of Transport said.

All 21 crew members of the Crystal, which was carrying grain from the United States, were rescued, the ministry said.

The Crystal's crew members were all Chinese nationals.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collision.

State-run China Central Television reported on Sunday evening that the tanker was still floating and burning, and that oil was visible in the water.

It was not clear, however, whether the tanker was still spilling oil.

The size of the oil slick caused by the accident also was not known.

The Sanchi was carrying 136,000 metric tons of condensate, a type of ultra-light oil, according to Chinese authorities.

An official in Iran's Oil Ministry, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said it was not yet clear what had happened to the crew members.

"We have no information on their fate," he said.

"We cannot say all of them have died, because rescue teams are there and providing services."

The official said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co and had been rented by a South Korean company, Hanwha Total Co.

He said the tanker was on its way to South Korea.

Hanwa Total is a 50-50 partnership between the Seoul-based Hanwha Group and the French oil giant Total.

Total did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co in less than a year-and-a-half.

In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill. </s> An Iranian oil tanker has collided with a bulk freighter and caught fire off China’s eastern coast, leaving its crew of 32 missing.

The missing, 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, are all from the tanker Sanchi, which spilled oil and was floating while still burning early on Sunday.

Chinese maritime authorities sent police vessels and three cleaning ships to the scene, while the South Korean coast guard also sent a ship and an airplane to aid the search effort.

The Panama-registered tanker was sailing from Iran to South Korea when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter CF Crystal 160 miles from shore late on Saturday, the Ministry of Transport said.

The 21 members of the Crystal’s crew, all Chinese nationals, were rescued, the ministry said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collision.

The ship has operated under five different names in the time since it was built in 2008, according the UN-run International Maritime Organisation.

The IMO listed its registered owner as Hong Kong-based Bright Shipping Ltd, care of the National Iranian Tanker Co, a publicly traded company based in Tehran.

The National Iranian Tanker Co describes itself as operating the largest tanker fleet in the Middle East.

An official in Iran’s oil ministry said the tanker was owned by the National Iranian Tanker Co, and had been rented by a South Korean company, Hanwha Total Co. He said the tanker was on its way to South Korea.

Hanwa Total is a 50-50 partnership between the Seoul-based Hanwha Group and the French oil giant Total.

It is the second collision for a ship from the National Iranian Tanker Co in less than a year and a half.

In August 2016, one of its tankers collided with a Swiss container ship in the Singapore Strait, damaging both ships but causing no injuries or oil spill.–AP </s> HONG KONG — An oil tanker exploded off Hong Kong’s southern coast Tuesday, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing at sea.

Witnesses reported hearing a loud blast that shook windows several miles away.

The damaged oil tanker tilts to one side off Hong Kong’s southern coast.Anthony Wallace / AFP – Getty Images

Authorities said the Vietnam-registered vessel burst into flames as it prepared to refuel.

Twenty-one crew members were rescued from the waters.

The Aulac Fortune was built in 2010. Ship tracking data shows it last loaded around 6,660 tons of gasoline, most of which was delivered to Guangzhou on Sunday and Monday.

The Aulac Fortune later arrived south of Lamma Island and sent its position from there at midnight ET on Tuesday.

The Aulac Fortune burns near Lamma Island on Tuesday.Hong Kong Government Flying Service / EPA

Residents on the nearby island of Lantau said they heard a big blast which rattled doors and windows.

“It felt like when there is a strong typhoon, when the wind shakes your doors violently. It was really strong,” Rhea Nee told Reuters. “I thought maybe there was an earthquake. I saw my neighbors all coming out of their houses. The windows of my house were shaking.”
Tanker ships MT Crystal Sunrise and MT Astro Saturn collide off Singapore, causing damage to both vessels and a butane leak.