Off the coast of Malaysia, a leak of oil products was discovered – probably from the “shadow tanker” Pablo
8.05.2023 - 09:50
The authorities of Malaysia reported about the leakage of oil products, which was discovered near the coast. The “shadow tanker” Pablo, which exploded nearby last week, may be involved in the pollution.
Days after the explosion and fire on the Pablo tanker off Malaysia, local authorities have reported a large-scale spill that has been discovered off the coast, The Maritime Executive reports.
The Royal Malaysian Navy continues to be in the vicinity of the vessel. One of the ships conducted an operation to spray water on the hull of the tanker to cool the wreckage. However, the special team of the fire and rescue department has not been able to start its work to check whether there was any spillage from the ship and to find the missing crew members.
Officials in Batam, Indonesia, on the southern side of the Singapore Strait, said large amounts of oil products had begun washing up on their beaches and fishing grounds. Currently, it is known about the leakage of four tons of fuel oil on the beaches of Batam. According to police, the contamination is concentrated in three locations in the eastern region, with an estimated spillage area of more than five square miles.
The head of the special unit for combating crime in the Riau Islands told reporters that based on satellite data, it can be assumed that the oil products are leaking from the tanker itself.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry took samples of petroleum products to determine their origin.
We will remind you that last week an explosion occured on the tanker Pablo, which was involved in the transportation of oil subject to sanctions. Three sailors are considered missing, including a citizen of Ukraine.
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. Some reports indicate that shortly before the explosion Pablo was preparing to transport Iranian oil destined for China.
