A shadow fleet tanker involved in a collision in the Danish Straits while heading to load Russian oil did not have valid insurance coverage, according to a report.
Documents found on board the 116,000-dwt Andromeda Star (built 2009) after the 2 March collision suggested the tanker had protection and indemnity cover with Gard, Bloomberg reported, based on Danish Maritime Authority documents.
But Gard confirmed to TradeWinds that it was not insuring the ship at the time of the accident.
The database of the International Group of P&I Clubs did not return a current match to any of its 12 members that cover about 90% of oceangoing tonnage.
The tanker was on a ballast leg at the time of the accident with a Bulgarian-owned and managed cargo ship, the 16,817-dwt Peace (built 2012).
The Andromeda Star was taken to a shipyard at Lindo where the inspection was carried out on 20 March before it was released.
The aframax tanker subsequently loaded 730,000 barrels of Urals crude at Primorsk for delivery to India, according to Kpler tracking data. It is currently travelling through the southern Red Sea.
The ship is listed as owned and managed by Seychelles-based company Algae Marine and technically managed by India’s Margao Marine Solutions based in Goa. Margao has been contacted for comment.
The Andromeda Star is just the latest tanker to have raised concerns about the potential environmental impacts and cost implications from an accident involving a shadow fleet vessel transiting the treacherous area.
The 53,000-dwt Canis Power (built 2005) suffered engine problems off the coast of Denmark loaded with Russian oil in May last year and veered across shipping lanes before anchoring for repairs in safer waters.
The ship had just changed P&I provider and details of replacement coverage were difficult to come by. The ship was managed at the time by Dubai-based Radiating World Shipping Services, which was later hit by UK government sanctions over its Russia-related business.
Denmark has backed moves at the International Maritime Organization to emphasise flag states’ responsibility to ensure that ships comply with international rules.
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