07 November 2016

Tanker ran aground off Raffles Lighthouse, 2 Nov 2016

A tanker ran aground outside Singapore waters off Raffles Lighthouse. So far, no water pollution has been reported.
Screen cap from Vessel Finder.
According to the Maritime Herald "salvage will be prepared carefully, due to high danger for causing breaches into the tanker’s hull".

[Update from the company website: The tanker was refloated on 8 Nov. Inspection showed the vessel was 'free of any apparent damage'.]


Product tanker Spottail ran aground in Singapore Strait
Martime Herald 5 Nov 16 also on wildsingapore news

The product tanker Spottail ran aground in Singapore Strait on half mile off Pulau Takong Besar, Indonesia. The vessel left Singapore en route to Sri Lanka under cargo, but after failure of the steering gear hardly stuck with the portboard into a rocky shallow. The crew was unable to refloat the ship and requested assistance from the local authorities. At the scene of the troubled product tanker were dispatched tug and rescue boat, which should make an underwater inspection and estimate the damages caused by the grounding. The investigation for the circumstances and root cause of the accident are under way.
Photo of Spottail from Vessel Finder.
There were no injured people during the accident and no report water pollution. The salvage will be prepared carefully, due to high danger for causing breaches into the tanker’s hull. The towing will be done after assessment of the damages and at high tide, probably late today.

The product tanker Spottail (IMO: 9409479) has overall length of 228.00 m, moulded beam of 32.00 m and maximum draft of 8.50 m. The deadweight of the ship is 74,997 DWT and the gross tonnage is 40,975 GRT. The vessel was built in 2009 by Minaminippon Shipbuilding in their shipyard in Usuki, Japan. The product tanker Spottail is operating under the flag of Marshall Islands and managed by Prime Tanker Management.

What natural Singapore shores are near the accident site?

The distance between the accident site and Raffles Lighthouse appears to be about the same as that between Pulau Semakau and Raffles Lighthouse. Raffles Lighthouse and the Live Firing Islands have among our most untouched reefs and marine ecosystems as they are off limits. These include the islands of Pulau Salu, Pulau Sudong, Pulau Pawai and Pulau Senang. Raffles Lighthouse located on Pulau Satumu, and the tiny island of Pulau Biola nearby, has some of our best reefs and rare coastal plants.
Pristine Reefs of Raffles Lighthouse
The living reefs of Raffles Lighthouse
with Pulau Biola on the horizon.
During our last survey of Raffles Lighthouse in Aug 2016, the reefs there were suffering from mass coral bleaching.
Mass coral bleaching at Raffles Lighthouse, 21 Aug 2016
Best reefs in Singapore: bleaching in Aug 2016


Oil spills on our Southern Islands

Our Southern Islands including the islands of our Marine Park lie close to the Singapore Strait, a major shipping lane connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Large vessel in the Singapore Strait from Sisters Islands
with St John's Island on the horizon.
Large vessels from the Middle East, India to China, Japan and Korea ply this route.
Huge container ship seen off Sisters Island.
Large vessels travelling off the Marine Park.
Photo by Chia Wei Wei during a public walk
at the Sisters Islands Marine Park in Dec 2015. 

Recent ship collisions and oil spills
at