By Jonathan Saul (Reuters) – A collision between two tankers off Singapore in July raises questions over insurance coverage claims, as one of many vessels beforehand shipped Iranian oil, probably complicating funds as a result of Western sanctions, ship-trackers and trade sources say.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Ceres I collided and caught fireplace about 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca on July 19.
No oil spill has been detected, solely a sheen believed to be from harm to the Hafnia Nile’s bunker tank, Malaysia’s Marine Division stated.
The vessel, which was carrying a cargo of naphtha, suffered engine harm and was secured by tugs on the collision website.
On Thursday, ship supervisor Hafnia stated that an oil growth has been deployed on the stern of the ship and across the broken space, and two tugboats are dispersing the sunshine oil sheen.
Hafnia stated it was working with Malaysian and Singaporean authorities to finalize a towage plan.
WHAT’S THE IRANIAN OIL CONNECTION?
The Ceres I had no cargo on the time of the accident.
Nevertheless, ship knowledge from suppliers together with LSEG and Kpler present the tanker carried Iranian crude up to now.
Ceres I final loaded Iranian oil by way of switch with an Iranian tanker in March off the nation’s Kharg terminal, subsequently transferring the cargo to 2 tankers across the Malacca Strait between April 7-9, stated Claire Jungman, chief of workers at advocacy group United Towards Nuclear Iran, which tracks Iran-related tanker visitors by way of satellite tv for pc knowledge.
That cargo reached China on Could 29, Jungman stated.
Ceres I loaded Iranian oil at the very least 4 instances since 2019, transporting 8 million barrels, in keeping with evaluation by Jungman. The vessel additionally made 4 journeys carrying Venezuelan oil between 2021 and 2023 totalling 7.5 million barrels, she stated.
The China-based proprietor of the Ceres I listed in transport databases couldn’t be reached for remark.
China, the largest purchaser of Iranian crude, says it opposes unilateral sanctions, however merchants rebrand Iranian oil destined for the nation as originating elsewhere, similar to Malaysia, Oman or the United Arab Emirates, tanker trackers and merchants say. Chinese language customs haven’t reported any imports of Iranian oil since June 2022.
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS SITUATION?
That is believed to be the primary such collision lately involving a vessel that’s a part of the so-called shadow fleet of tankers transporting oil cargoes which can be topic to Western sanctions, insurance coverage specialists stated.
Authorities and trade officers have raised issues over dangers posed by the rising shadow fleet.
“The current collision between Hafnia Nile and Ceres I marks a harmful precedent,” stated Jonathan Moss, head of transport with regulation agency DWF and an insurance coverage claims specialist.
“Neither vessel nor house owners are designated (by Western sanctions), nevertheless, if the Ceres I used to be or had up to now been carrying Iranian crude, their insurers could have cause to say no cowl or could must notify the authorities of a possible sanctions breach,” he stated.
WHAT INSURANCE IS IN PLACE?
Ships sometimes have safety and indemnity (P&I) insurance coverage, which covers third-party legal responsibility claims together with environmental harm and harm. Separate hull and equipment insurance policies cowl vessels in opposition to bodily harm.
The Hafnia Nile is roofed by Norwegian P&I insurer Gard, one of many prime 12 such suppliers masking round 90% of the world’s ocean-going ships.
Gard stated it was “actively supporting” its member BW Group, which operates the Hafnia Nile, declining to offer specifics.
Usually, a P&I membership that’s a part of a world group of the 12 largest corporations within the sector covers the primary $10 million of P&I losses, with members mutually reinsuring one another by sharing claims above $10 million to $100 million. The group holds reinsurance cowl as much as $3.1 billion.
An individual conversant in the matter stated the Ceres I has P&I protection with a world insurer that isn’t among the many main 12 suppliers, and hull and equipment protection from a Chinese language insurer.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH CLAIMS?
Claims on this case may embrace prices to restore each vessels, towing the Hafnia Nile to a dock, time in dock for repairs and people incurred by the salvage firm and tugs in addition to ship surveyors.
Usually, every get together in a collision instructs its personal loss assessor to organize a report on what occurred, establishing legal responsibility after which notify its insurers and make a declare.
The claims course of itself is often handled by each hull and P&I insurers and can final months if not longer.
Legal responsibility will probably be decided by a courtroom, most likely in Asia.
Any claims despatched to hull & equipment, cargo and P&I insurers will probably be sophisticated by sanctions guidelines, DWF’s Moss stated.
Moss stated if the hull & equipment or P&I cowl had been positioned by insurers within the London market or different jurisdictions, sanctions exclusion clauses may very well be triggered. This might forestall investigation of the declare together with the appointment of loss assessors, loss adjusters, fireplace consultants and others, probably leaving the insured with out cowl from each direct insurers or reinsurers, Moss added.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Extra reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore Modifying by Tony Munroe and Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Reuters)
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