A modern Japanese-owned VLCC has become the latest tanker caught out by Singapore’s clampdown on shipping safety.
The 314,000-dwt Tenma (built 2018) was stopped on 5 June, according to the Tokyo MoU on Port State Control.
Its database shows that the Panama-flag vessel was detained for International Safety Management, fire safety and labour condition-related deficiencies.
The latest AIS data shows that the Japan Marine United-built ship has been released and is headed for Yanbu in Saudi Arabia.
The vessel is a Malaccamax design intended to optimise cargo capacity for VLCCs trading to the Far East through the Malacca Strait.
Singapore has had a surge in tanker detentions this year since port state control inspections were reinstated after Covid-19 and the frequency of inspections was increased.
It detained 33 tankers or oil/chemical tankers in the first five months of this year, according to the Tokyo MoU.
Nine tankers were detained in April, the most in any month in more than a decade.
“We resumed physical PSC inspections on board vessels with the relaxation of the Covid-19 safe management measures in 2022,” the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore told TradeWinds last week.
“The frequency of these inspections has also increased to ensure safe and reliable vessel operations, and that the vessel is in compliance with all applicable regulations.”
The increase in tanker detentions comes amid concerns over the threat posed to Asian waters by the so-called dark fleet — tankers operating in sanctioned oil trades, which are often underinsured and have been dubbed an accident waiting to happen due to the threat of environmental damage they pose.
Asian governments have been on edge following the explosion and fire on board the 96,700-dwt Pablo (built 1997) in the South China Sea in early May close to the entrance of the Singapore Strait.
In May, Singapore authorities detained an oil tanker belonging to the fleet of Gatik Ship Management, a major carrier of Russian oil to India. The Gabon-flag, 105,500-dwt Lefkada (built 2005) was detained on 11 May after several deficiencies were found, according to the Tokyo MoU.
Mumbai-based Gatik has emerged as a significant player in Russian oil transport and has been reflagging and reclassifying its ships after several international agencies withdrew certification and insurance coverage.
