Oil tanker grounded near Indonesia-Singapore gas pipelines successfully refloated: MPA
There is no report of oil pollution in Singapore’s waters, said the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Oil tankers anchored off the western shores of Singapore. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
SINGAPORE: An oil tanker that had been grounded near gas pipelines in Indonesia waters since October has been successfully refloated.
In response to media queries, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Friday (Nov 11) that it was informed by the Indonesian authorities of this latest development.
The Djibouti-registered vessel, which goes by the name Young Yong, is now anchored at Nipah Anchorage in Indonesia waters.
It had grounded off Takong Kecil in Indonesia's Riau Islands in the Singapore Strait on the evening of Oct 26, 2022.
The vessel was in the vicinity of subsea pipelines that convey natural gas from South Sumatra and West Natuna in Indonesia to Singapore for power generation and industrial use. Singapore's Energy Market Authority said last week that the pipelines were unaffected by the incident.
Prior to its grounding, MPA said its Port Operations Control Centre had issued early shallow water warnings to the tanker on the potential danger.
“Navigation through the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait has remained unaffected while Young Yong was grounded and throughout the Indonesian-led efforts to refloat the tanker,” said MPA.
It added that there is no report of oil pollution in Singapore’s waters.
Indonesian authorities had said last week that it could take up to a month to free the tanker.
The vessel was earlier also slapped with sanctions by the United States for alleged links to Hezbollah and a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
