A bulker in danger of sinking off Gibraltar following a collision with an LNG carrier was reported to be in a stable condition on Tuesday morning.
An initial inspection carried out by divers showed the bulker to have suffered more serious damage in the incident.
The 35,362-dwt OS 35 (built 1999) crashed into the 162,000-cbm Adam LNG (built 2014) while the Asyad Shipping-linked gas carrier was anchored in Catalan Bay on Monday.
The OS 35 was beached by Gibraltar Pilots in an attempt to prevent the ship from sinking.
The Government of Gibraltar said in a situation update on Tuesday that the bow of the vessel is resting on the seabed in 17m of water, listing by three degrees to starboard.
Divers dispatched to carry out an underwater inspection found “significant damage” to the ship's starboard side.
That includes a gash amidships below the waterline measuring about 10 metres by four metres, Gibraltar authorities said in an announcement.
Tugs have being deployed and booms set up in case there is an oil spill.
The OS 35 was loaded with 183 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, 250 tonnes of diesel and 27 tonnes of lube oil when it departed Gibraltar on Monday on a voyage to Vlissengen in the Netherlands.
“The vessel is carrying 24 crew, all of which are currently still on board, at the request of the Captain of the vessel,” authorities said. “Assets are available at the scene in order to evacuate the ship if necessary.
“The latest advice by the captain of the port is that there is little to no risk to human life for any of the crew on board.
The vessel remained in a stable condition.
A specialist team of marine salvors from the Netherlands were due to arrive in Gibraltar on Tuesday to carry out a full on-site assessment.
Superficial dent
Kpler data shows the Adam LNG, which is listed as being on charter to Gunvor, was in ballast at the time of the collision.
The Adam LNG is flagged in the Marshall Islands, is owned by Adam Maritime Transportation and managed by Oman Ship Management Co — a subsidiary of Asyad Shipping.
In a statement sent to TradeWinds on Tuesday, Oman Ship Management said the Adam LNG suffered damage to the bulbous bow but there was no water ingress nor injury to crew.
Later on Tuesday, the government of Gibraltar described the damage to the Adam LNG's bulbous bow as a “superficial dent”.
The vessel's managers said no pollution from the vessel has been reported.
“Oman Ship Management Co has made all the necessary notifications, and further inspection of the bulbous bow and forepeak areas are underway,” the company said.
The gas carrier remains anchored in Gibraltar’s western anchorage.
Lebanese background?
The OS 35 is flagged in Tuvalu and is said to be carrying steel rebar.
The vessel is owned by Oldstone Cargo and managed by Oldstone Management. Both these companies are said to be based in Greece.
The ship, however, is controlled by Middle Eastern interests. When the OS 35 was attacked by pirates off Somalia in 2017, Oldstone Management was said to be Lebanese.
An Oldstone manager in Greece contacted by TradeWinds for comment on Tuesday referred the request to an owner with an Arab-sounding named who was said to be currently in Cyprus.
The owner wasn't immediately contactable.
See more on the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=RlLArnkBdpY
This article has been updated to include information about the two vessels' owners and managers, as well as the latest update from the Government of Gibraltar
Lucy Hine and Harry Papachristou contributed to this article
