35 days after the incident with Chinese VLCC, the unloading of the Hafnia Nile is underway

Unloading of the naphtha cargo on board the Hafnia Nile when the ship made contact with the VLCC Ceres I in Malaysian waters about five weeks ago is ongoing. The investigation into the incident remains led by Malaysian authorities and monitored by Singapore as the flag state of the product tanker.

Part of the cargo, which belonged to Cespa and was destined for Japan, survived the accident, according to a report by S&P Global. They cite sources as saying that the unloading would be completed in the next few days with the assistance of Malaysian authorities. An unnamed tanker has been moved into position to receive the naphtha. S&P reports that the ship's owners, Hafnia, will provide an update in the next few days.

The Hafnia Nile was sailing near the east side of the Singapore Strait when it collided with the crude oil tanker VLCC Ceres I registered in São Tomé and Príncipe. According to S&P Global, investigators continue to investigate this as an alliance in which the Hafnia Nile met Ceres Iwhich was presumably at anchor. However, the issues to be investigated include whether the vessel was transmitting an accurate AIS signal and was anchored as claimed.

A fire broke out on board both ships and the Hafnia Nile was abandoned by the crew. Part of the Ceres I crew also abandoned ship, while others stayed behind to help fight the fire. The fires were extinguished, with significant damage to the ship Hafnia, but pollution was limited.

The mystery deepened when the Ceres I which was reportedly part of the shadow fleet, was missing from the collision site the following day. Malaysian authorities initially accused the vessel of fleeing, but later said the tanker may have drifted as it had no propulsion and was initially assisted only by two smaller tugs. The VLCC was located and guided to an anchorage east of Peninsular Malaysia, where it remains.

Reports followed the Ceres I to the Iranian oil trade. Initially, it was feared that the ship was still loaded, but images confirmed that it was only carrying ballast when it was hit on July 19. TankerTrackers.com and the NGO UANI linked the ship to the Iranian oil concealment operations, reporting that it was in a known area used for illegal ship-to-ship transfers. The ship is also said to have falsified its AIS signal position in the past and has not reported back. Its ownership also remains unclear, as it is likely registered to a shell company in Hong Kong that has not made any statements since the incident.

It is expected that the Hafnia Nile After unloading, the ship may continue to a shipyard for repairs.