Explosion on the “shadow tanker”: three sailors died, including one Ukrainian

An explosion occurred on a tanker that was involved in the transportation of oil subject to sanctions. Three sailors died, including a citizen of Ukraine.

The incident occurred on the Pablo tanker in the South China Sea, at an anchorage near the Singapore Strait, the Trade Union of Maritime Transport Workers of Ukraine reported.

According to a report by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), two Indian sailors and a Ukrainian were among the dead. It is assumed that the cause of the explosion was welding work on the cargo deck of the tanker.

Pablo (IMO: 96773 tons) is a Gabonese-flagged tanker built in 1997. The operator is Pablo Union Shipping In. In April, the ship was sold: it changed its owner, name and flag.

Also, the tanker has a dark history: it is reported that it was transporting Iranian (according to some sources, and russian) oil. But there was no cargo on the ship at the time of the explosion. There was no information about the oil spill to the local authorities.

The relatives of the deceased Ukrainian sailor have not yet contacted the PRMTU.