Freighter sinks in Singapore Strait after collision with chemical tanker; 6 still missing

Today Online 17 Dec 15;

SINGAPORE — A freighter bearing the Antigua and Barbuda flag sank in the Singapore Strait last night (Dec 16) after a collision with a Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker.

Six out of 12 members of the freighter’s crew have been rescued, while search and rescue operations for the remaining freighter crew members are still on-going, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in a statement past midnight today. There was no Singaporean crew member on either vessel.

The incident had occurred at 8.14pm in Indonesian waters, 11km north-west of Batam. The freighter, named “Thorco Cloud”, was carrying 560 metric tonnes of bunker fuel. The chemical tanker, named “Stolt Commitment”, sustained minor damage, but is in stable condition, said the MPA.

Two patrol craft were deployed by the MPA for search and rescue operations. The Police Coast Guard (PCG) also deployed five boats.

Indonesian authorities were also alerted of the incident by the MPA and have commenced search and rescue operations. The MPA is assisting the Indonesian authorities to survey and mark the sunken freighter to ensure navigational safety.

Five of the freighter crew members were rescued by the PCG, with the other crew member rescued by the chemical tanker.

Two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vessels were also dispatched. The SCDF has conveyed the six rescued crew members to Singapore General Hospital.

Meanwhile, the MPA has issued navigational broadcasts to vessels in the vicinity to keep clear of the area and to report any sightings of the missing crew members.

There is no disruption to shipping traffic or reports of any oil spills in the Singapore Strait currently, said the MPA. Still, the MPA has readied anti-pollution craft on standby.


6 missing after freighter collides with chemical tanker in Singapore Strait
The freighter, which was bearing the Antigua and Barbuda flag, was carrying 560 metric tonnes of bunker fuel when it collided with a Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker.
Channel NewsAsia 17 Dec 15;

SINGAPORE: Six crew members of a freighter are missing after the ship sank following a collision in the Singapore Strait, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.

The freighter, which was bearing the Antigua and Barbuda flag, collided with a Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker on Wednesday night (Dec 16), the MPA said in a statement issued past midnight on Thursday.

Six out of 12 members of the freighter’s crew were rescued and taken to the Singapore General Hospital, and search and rescue operations are ongoing for the missing six.

There was no Singaporean crew member on either vessel.

The incident occurred at 8.14pm in Indonesian waters, 11km north-west of Batam island. The freighter, named “Thorco Cloud”, was carrying 560 metric tonnes of bunker fuel. The chemical tanker, named “Stolt Commitment”, sustained minor damage and is in stable condition, said the MPA.

The MPA deployed two patrol craft for search and rescue operations, while the Singapore Civil Defence Force deployed two vessels. Singapore’s Police Coast Guard deployed five boats, which rescued five of the crew members. A sixth was rescued by the chemical tanker.

Indonesian authorities were alerted to the incident by the MPA and have also commenced search and rescue operations. MPA said it is assisting the Indonesian authorities to survey and mark the sunken freighter to ensure navigational safety.

MPA has also issued navigational broadcasts to vessels in the vicinity to keep clear of the area and to report any sightings of the missing crew members.

There is no disruption to shipping traffic or reports of any oil spills in the Singapore Strait currently, the MPA said, adding that it has anti-pollution craft on standby.

- CNA/cy


Bunker Freighter Sinks After Collision in Singapore Strait
Chanyaporn Chanjaroen Bloomberg 17 Dec 15;

(Bloomberg) -- A vessel carrying 560 metric tons of bunker fuel sank after a collision with chemical tanker in the Singapore Strait late Wednesday, the city-state’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said.

Shipping traffic in Strait remains undisrupted and there are no reports of any oil spill so far, the MPA said in its early Thursday statement.

The freighter “Thorco Cloud,” bearing the Antigua and Barbuda flag, collided with Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker “Stolt Commitment” in Indonesia waters six nautical miles (11 kilometers) north-west of Batam, according to the statement posted by the MPA on a government website.

A total of six crew members from both ships were rescued but another six were missing as of 12:15am when the MPA’s statement was issued.

Search and rescue efforts by Singapore and Indonesia continue. The MPA media team was not reachable outside office hours.

Singapore Strait collision sinks freighter; six crew still missing
ROSLAN KHASAWNEH AND KEITH WALLIS Reuters 17 Dec 15;




An Indonesia rescue team approaches the sunken Antigua and Barbuda flagged freighter MV Thorco Cloud which sank after colliding with a tanker the night before, in the Singapore Strait off the Indonesian island of Batam December 17, 2015 in this photo taken by Antara Foto.
REUTERS/M N KANWA/ANTARA FOTO

Six crew members are still missing after a general cargo freighter sank in the Singapore Strait following a collision with a chemical tanker at 8:14 p.m. (7.14 a.m. ET) on Dec. 16.

The 10,385 deadweight tonne (dwt) cargo freighter Thorco Cloud, operated by Danish shipper Thorco Shipping and registered in Antigua and Barbuda, had a crew of 12.

Singapore's Police Coast Guard, supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), rescued five of the crew members, while the chemical tanker picked up a sixth, the MPA said. The rescued seamen were sent to Singapore General Hospital for observation, it said.

Search and rescue operations continued for the six missing crew members, said an MPA spokesman in an update.

To ensure shipping safety, the MPA deployed a buoy tender and a hydrographic survey vessel to cordon off the area. So far there have been no shipping disruptions, the spokesman said.

The incident, which took place in Indonesian waters six nautical miles northwest of Batam, left the Cayman Islands-registered chemical tanker Stolt Commitment with minor damage and in stable condition, said the MPA.

The 37,438 dwt tanker is owned by Stolt Tankers, part of Norwegian bulk liquid transportation and storage company Stolt-Nielsen Ltd.

Indonesian authorities have also commenced search and rescue operations and Singapore is ready to render assistance if required, the MPA said.

The sunken cargo freighter was carrying 560 metric tonnes of bunker fuel.

"While there are currently no reports of any oil spill, MPA has also put on standby anti-pollution craft," the spokesman said.

The Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest commercial shipping routes, is a 105-km long, 16-km wide passage between the Strait of Malacca to the South China Sea.

(Editing by Tom Hogue)


Bodies of three Filipinos repatriated from Batam
Antara 19 Jan 16;

Batam, Riau Islands (ANTARA News) - Three bodies of passengers of MV Thorco Cloud, which sank in the waters between Batam and Singapore on December 16, 2015, have been repatriated to the Philippines after undergoing autopsy in a hospital, a spokesman stated.

"The three bodies of the Filipinos were found several days after the accident, and process of their autopsy has been completed," head of the Riau Islands Provincial police medical doctor Adjunct Senior Commissioner Djarot Wibowo stated here on Monday.

The three victims were identified as Sumaculub Jose Myrvin Delos Santos, Gabay Nino, and Dobo Rodulfo Damante, he said, adding that the victims were found floating.

According to him, the three bodies would be flown from Batam through Jakarta to the Philippines.

Earlier, six persons of the ill-fated ship were reportedly went missing, before rescuers found the three floating bodies.

MV Thorco Cloud V2FU6 sank after colliding with "MV Stolt Commitment" on Wednesday night (Dec 16, 2015) in the waters in the borderline between Batam and Singapore.

Although the accident occurred in the waters of the bordering area, but the scene tends to be closed to Indonesia.

Another six persons survived, Wibowo noted, explaining that another three foreign national victims of different sinking ship also went missing.

In the meantime, chief of Batam chapter of the Indonesian Coast and Sea Guard Unit or KPLP Gajah Rooseno explained that three missing victims were supposed to have been trapped in the engine room when the accident occurred that made them failed to survive.(*)

Related link
Ship collision off the Marine Park on 16 Dec 2015: no oil spill wild shores of singapore blog