An MR tanker is set to finally arrive in the East African port of Maputo this week after a three-month towage operation from Lagos came close to resulting in a major casualty.
The 46,900-dwt product tanker Order (built 1994) had been operating for Nigeria’s Ontario Oil & Gas off the Gulf of Guinea, but from February was scheduled for towage to Maputo.
It is understood that the tanker had been sold for demolition for about $4m.
Tow trouble
However, earlier this month, the vessel ran into trouble when the tug involved in the towage operation, the AHT Carrier (built 2011), lost its tow line to the tanker.
The line caught in its propeller, disabling the tug and leaving it, and the tanker, drifting dangerously towards Algoa Bay, on the coast of South Africa. There was no fuel oil or crew onboard the Order but local emergency response authorities were put on alert.
The two vessels came as close as four nautical miles to the coast before the emergency tug SA Amandla (built 1976) came to the rescue.
In the meantime, divers cleared the tow line from the tug’s propellers. All of the 14 crew onboard the AHT Carrier are understood to be safe and the SA Amandla continued to tow the Order on its journey.
As TradeWinds went to press, automatic identification system data from the SA Amandla indicated it is heading to Maputo and is due to arrive this week.
