Singapore: A Thai tanker has gone missing with authorities across the region scrambling to locate the ship.
According to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre, the Orapin 4 departed Singapore on Tuesday afternoon bound for Pontianak in Indonesia with 3,377 metric tonnes of automotive diesel fuel onboard. The vessel was due to arrive yesterday.
However, on Wednesday, the shipowner’s efforts to get in touch with the tanker by email failed. The owner’s name is Thai International Tankers.
The tanker did not arrive in Pontianak on 29 May as scheduled. The last known position of the product tanker on 27 May 14 at 1730 hrs was approximately 3.64 nm north of Pulau Batam in Indonesia.
There were 14 crew, all Thai nationals onboard Orapin 4.
The ReCAAP ISC has alerted the ReCAAP Focal Points and maritime authorities in the region, including the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities to look out for the missing vessel.
The ReCAAP ISC urges vessels in the vicinity to look out for Orapin 4 and report sightings of the missing vessel to the Royal Thai Navy Maritime Information Sharing Centre at +6624755432 or by email to miscdutyofficer@misc.go.th.
The ship’s disappearance is the second calamity it has faced this year. On January 9, the same vessel ran aground in Songkhla in Thailand requiring a significant salvage operation plus subsequent repair work. [30/05/14]
