A containership and an Aframax tanker crashed in the busy Malacca Strait between Malaysia and Indonesia on Wednesday.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) reported that there had been no injuries to the 45 crew on both ships, nor had any oil leaks been found, but questions about the identity of the tanker and its operations in the region have been raised.
According to Maritime Executive, Maritime Commander Mohd Haniff Mohd Yunus of the MMEA reported that the collision had taken place shortly after 04h00 local time. He said the two vessels were the Liberian-flagged containership the GLS Grania and the Panama-flagged tanker Zephyr I. The collision occurred approximately 12 nautical miles southwest of Tanjung Laboh, at the southern end of the Malaysian peninsula near Singapore.
“The Batu Pahat maritime zone operations centre dispatched the Benteng 05 boat to the location to carry out a monitoring and assistance mission,” the MMEA said in a statement. “Preliminary accident information received from the captain of MV GSL Grania stated that this violation was caused by MV Zephyr I losing control and crashing into the right side of the vessel, causing damage.”
The MMEA ordered both vessels to anchor and later said that the damage was being assessed and the crash investigated. Photographs released by the MMEA show damage to the 105 588 dwt tanker’s bow and a large dent in the 814-foot-long containership’s stern quarter.
The tanker, which was loaded with bitumen, was reported to be sailing to Yantai, China. US authorities cited the 20-year-old vessel for deceptive actions earlier this year and Lloyd’s List has reported that it believes the vessel may have been avoiding sanctions. Lloyd’s believes the vessel loaded its cargo in Russia. However, its AIS signal does not include details regarding the voyage and final destination, and ownership of the vessel is unclear. The ship has allegedly changed names and owners at least twice in 2022.
The GSL Grania, owned by Global Ship Lease, was operating under charter to Maersk, which confirmed that the vessel had been involved in the collision. The vessel was en route from Savannah in the United States to Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia.
The Malaysian Maritime Department issued a warning to all ship traffic to proceed with additional caution while transiting the area.
