2 vessels collide 10km south of S'pore

A collision occurred between two vessels this afternoon in the Singapore Strait, off Sebarok Island, 10km south of mainland Singapore.

The departing Liberia-flagged containership Hammonia Thracium and the Panama-flagged chemical tanker Zoey collided around 3.35pm, according to a statement from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Prior to the incident, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre provided traffic information to the two vessels and alerted Zoey that the vessel Hammonia Thracium was crossing the traffic line.

Hammonia Thracium reported that one of her bunker tanks sustained damage, resulting in spillage of some 80 metric tonnes of bunker fuel.

Upon notification, MPA said it immediately dispatched four patrol craft to deal with the spillage.

Oil response companies have also been activated to support the clean-up efforts.

The two vessels are currently in stable condition outside of Singapore's port limits and are assessing their situations. There is no report of injur and port operations remain unaffected.

MPA is investigating the cause of the collision.

klim@sph.com.sg