Tanker Malaysia Labeled “Suspicious” After Collision Anchors off China

Published Oct 24, 2024 1:58 PM by The Maritime Executive

The mysterious case of the VLCC tanker Ceres 1 continues to draw attention as the vessel has again turned up anchored off China three months after it was involved in a fiery collision in Malaysian waters. The authorities in Malaysia are not commenting but the 300,000 dwt tanker had been under detention since July after it and the Hafnia Nile collided.

Using ship tracking data, Bloomberg reported yesterday that the vessel was on the move apparently bound for China. The vessel’s AIS signal is now showing that it has anchored off Zhoushan, China.

Malaysian officials declined to comment to Bloomberg about the status of their investigation into the collision. Hafnia referenced a statement from September at which time the company said it was unable to locate the owner, manager, or insurer of the tanker.

In the hours after the incident, Malaysian officials called the vessel’s IMO registration information “suspicious” while saying the actions of the ship leaving the incident area were also “doubtful.” Malaysian Maritime launched a search for the vessel locating it being towed a good distance from the scene of the collision. They ordered the ship to return but later said the ship might have drifted after the collision.

Video showing the damage to Ceres 1 posted online by Edwin (Fernando) Tharsis

The Ceres 1 has been widely linked to the sanction-busting trade in Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil. Responding to media speculation in the hours after the collision, Iran’s Energy Ministry issued a statement saying it did not have oil aboard the Ceres 1. Initial reports had said the vessel was loaded with as much as 2 million barrels of crude, but images of the tanker from Malaysia’s video showed the Ceres 1 riding high, confirming it had offloaded before the incident.

Watchdog agencies said the vessel was in a known area used for illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers. At the time of the collision the vessel’s AIS signal was saying it was anchored, but it has been pointed out that the ship’s history showed “irregularities consistent with extensive spoofing,” according to Lloyds Intelligence.

The Equasis database shows the ship registered in São Tomé and Príncipe while noting that a similar report from 2023 was judged to be false. The ship has been trading as Ceres 1 since 2019 after recording two previous name changes earlier in the year. Built in 2001, since 2019 it has reported jumping between registries in Liberia, Panama, and Honduras, before São Tomé and Príncipe.

Both the Ceres 1 and the Hafnia Nile were heavily damaged with fires breaking out after they collided. The hull and tanks of the Hafnia vessel were punctured with a portion of its cargo lost. The remainder was later offloaded and the vessel was reported to be undergoing repairs.

Malaysia is conducting an investigation in to the July incident. Singapore as the flag state of the Hafnia vessel has said it is also monitoring the case and offered assistance in the investigation.