According to International news, days after the fire that heavily damaged the tanker Pablo in the waters near the off Malaysia officials are now reporting widespread pollution which they believe is coming from the hulk.
Indonesian authorities are investigating the sources of the pollution, while Malaysia has reported it is currently too dangerous to board the burned-out vessel.
To remind, the fire started on Monday 1st May as the Pablo, weighing 96,773 tdwt, was reportedly sailing from China to Singapore with ballast. Further investigations have revealed that the ship was part of the “shadow fleet”, which aims to avoid sanctions on mainly Iranian oil exports. Reports suggest that the Pablo was preparing for a ship-to-ship transfer of Iranian oil bound for China when the fire destroyed the tanker.
As explained, the Royal Malaysian Navy’s KD Pendekar and the Marine Department’s MV Polaris are still stationed at the wreck, engaging in water spray operations on the hull to cool the vessel. However, conditions have prevented the Fire and Rescue Department’s Hazardous Materials Task Force from inspecting the hull for contamination or searching for the still-missing crew members.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests in Indonesia are taking samples of the oil to determine the source of the pollution, as well as collecting the oil with trucks to store it in barrels and sacks for further analysis. Although there have been no reports of significant hull damage, a series of explosions during the fire ruptured the Pablo’s fuel tanks, with subsequent images showing the extent of the damage.
