The crew of a product tanker managed by Taiwan's Jie Sheng Shipping are back on board their vessel which was in danger of sinking over the weekend.
The master of the 13,900-dwt Angel 33 (built 1990) ordered the crew to abandon ship on Saturday after the vessel sprung a leak in its engine room while in the South Pacific off the coast of Papua New Guinea, a Jie Sheng senior executive told TradeWinds.
“The ship is now safe, and the crew is back on board carrying out repair work,” the executive said.
"With the leak plugged, attempts are being made to restore power to the ship. If its main engine is still able to function it will proceed under its own power. If not, it will be towed to the nearest repair yard,” he added.
Jie Sheng operates a fleet of around 20 tankers. Most are small product vessels, although it includes two MR tankers on the list. Almost all these ships are owned by Taipei-based Zheng Yu Shipping, a company that the IHS Ships Register links to Winson Oil of Singapore.
The tankers are used to supply bunkers to Taiwanese fishing trawlers operating in the Pacific. It was in this role that the Angel 33 was deployed at the time its engine room became flooded.
The Panamanian-flagged Angel 33 is registered to British Virgin Islands single-ship owning company Sailing Prosper Ltd. IHS lists the American Club as the ship’s protection and indemnity provider.
