The Maritime Administration Department of Guyana on Tuesday (14 January) said chemical tanker Four Plus, bearing IMO No. 9203930, which was recently detained by Venezuelan authorities for unauthorised entry into that State’s waters was falsely flying the Guyana flag. 

The department said the vessel is not registered in Guyana; therefore, it is not authorised to fly the Guyana flag or claim Guyanese nationality.

“MARAD wishes to remind stakeholders and the public that it operates a closed Ships’ Registry and does not offer a flag of convenience,” it said in a social media post. 

It added that recent media reports highlighted the sanctioning of five oil tankers linked to a Syrian conglomerate with ties to Iran and Venezuela by the United States Treasury Department. These vessels also bore false registration documents.

“The issues of fraudulently registered vessels and the operation of a global shadow fleet remain on the radar of the global maritime community,” it added.

“The IMO at the 112th Session of its Legal Committee, scheduled for March this year, is expected to further develop measures to prevent these unlawful practices.”

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Peter Beentjes
Published: 20 January, 2025

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Sunday (12 January) said it rescued 14 crew members of product tanker Eagle 1 that caught fire four nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Piai.

Johor MMEA acting director Maritime Captain Kama Azri Kamil said all of them were taken to the state MMEA jetty while one Indonesian crew member was swept away to Singapore waters. 

“However, Singaporean authorities have informed us that they have found the man, who was unconscious, and has been brought to a hospital for further treatment,” he said.

The Mongolia-registered tanker was manned by 15 crew members from Myanmar, Indonesia and Singapore aged between 22 to 73 years old. 

Johor Bahru Maritime Rescue Sub Centre activated a search and rescue operation at 9.25am after receiving information from KM Satria regarding the fire. 

KM Satria, KM Tambisan and Kilat 18 were deployed to the scene.

“The fire is fully under control and no oil spills have been detected so far,” he added.

Singapore also reported two incidents over the weekend including a Malaysia-registered tanker sinking in Singapore territorial waters off Pedra Branca.

Eight crew members of tanker Silver Sincere were rescued after it was taking in water.

MPA also reported all 18 crew members of Vietnam-registered freighter Dolphin 18, which sank, were rescued.

Related: MPA: Malaysia-registered tanker “Silver Sincere” sinks off Pedra Branca
Related: Vietnam-registered freighter “Dolphin 18” sinks in Singapore Maritime region

Photo credit: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
Published: 15 January, 2025

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Sunday (12 January) said all eight crew members of Malaysia-registered tanker Silver Sincere were rescued after it was taking in water. 

The vessel has since sunk in Singapore territorial waters off Pedra Branca. 

MPA was alerted to a distress call from a Malaysia-registered tanker, Silver Sincere, at about 3:40pm (Singapore Time).

The master of the vessel had evacuated all the crew from the sinking vessel.

“All eight crew have been safely recovered from the vessel’s liferafts by Indonesia-registered freighter, Intan Daya 368, which was directed by MPA to render assistance,” MPA said in a statement. 

“All crew are in healthy condition and will be disembarked at Batu Ampar, Indonesia.”

As part of the search and rescue efforts, MPA had also deployed its craft, together with craft from the Republic of Singapore Navy, and the Singapore Police Coast Guard. The search and rescue phase coordinated by MPA has been completed.

“For the vessel recovery phase, MPA has activated salvage tugs. As a precaution, oil spill response craft have also been activated,” it added. 

MPA is broadcasting navigational safety advisory for passing vessels to stay clear of the incident site. Navigational traffic in the Singapore Strait is not affected.

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Julian T
Published: 13 January, 2025