The American Bureau of Shipping has withdrawn classification services from a VLCC involved in a high-profile casualty and recently blacklisted by the US Department of the Treasury.
The 306,000-dwt Young Yong (built 2001) ran aground near Takong Kecil Island off Batam City last week.
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) then listed the tanker among 11 others which it accused of having links to the Iranian regime and its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The ship has been operating under ABS classification since it was delivered.
In a statement to TradeWinds an ABS representative said: “As a US company we strictly follow US law on sanctions. Once the VLCC Young Yong appeared on the OFAC SDN (specially designated nationals) list, ABS took the necessary steps to cancel class and can confirm that class cancellation has occurred.”
The vessel is flagged in Djibouti and controlled by Hong Kong-based East Wind Ship Management.
The Young Yong was formerly named Maran Castor before it was sold in 2009.
The removal of class from ABS, an International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) member, may make it more difficult for the tanker to find cover. Certification from an IACS member is often a requirement for insurance coverage.
The current insurance status of the Young Yong is unclear. It is listed in one directory as entered with Russia’s Ingosstrakh for protection and indemnity cover, although this could not be confirmed.
The Young Yong remains aground and the Indonesian Navy estimates it could take up to a month to refloat.
The operation requires extra care because the vessel is located near a gas pipeline supplying Singapore.
Some of the oil cargo may have to be removed to lighten the ship before a refloating operation is attempted.
AIS data records the VLCC as having left Yantai in China on 22 September, heading to anchorage off Nipa Island in Indonesia.
The vessel is said to be carrying 284,000 tonnes of crude, according to the transport ministry’s Indonesian Sea and Coast Guard.
