Classification
- Incident Type: Collision
- Severity: High
Vessel Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Vessel Name | Aseem |
| Other Vessel | Shinyo Ocean |
| Vessel Type | Aseem: LNG carrier; Shinyo Ocean: crude oil tanker |
| Flag State | Aseem: Malta [MT]; Shinyo Ocean: Hong Kong [HK] |
| IMO Number | Aseem: 9377547; Shinyo Ocean: 9197868 |
| Gross Tonnage | Aseem: 97874; Shinyo Ocean: 149274 |
| LOA (m) | Aseem: 285.1; Shinyo Ocean: 330.0 |
| Breadth (m) | 43.40 |
| Year Built | Aseem: 2009; Shinyo Ocean: 2000 |
Incident Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Date | 2019-03-25 |
| Time | 00:06 local time |
| Location | Fujairah Offshore Anchorage Area passage channel, U.A.E. |
| Coordinates | 25.251833, 56.584000 |
| Region | Persian Gulf |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Missing | 0 |
Key facts
- Aseem was arriving from Dahej, India, and Shinyo Ocean was departing Fujairah for Al Shaheen Terminal, Qatar; both were in ballast.
- Fujairah regulations limited speed in the anchorage area to 5 knots.
- Aseem proposed a starboard round turn, while Shinyo Ocean initially indicated a port alteration.
- Shinyo Ocean later altered back toward the passage channel after encountering Silva, another departing vessel.
- Aseem's third officer likely misheard “starboard” as “stopped” in a VHF exchange.
- At contact, Aseem was heading 295° at 8.3 knots and Shinyo Ocean 173° at 7.3 knots.
Narrative
Aseem was arriving from Dahej, India, for Fujairah on 25 March 2019. Shinyo Ocean was departing Fujairah for Al Shaheen Terminal in Qatar. Both vessels were in ballast and manoeuvring within the Fujairah Offshore Anchorage Area, where local regulations limited speed to 5 knots and restricted passage through parts of the anchorage.
Aseem contacted Shinyo Ocean by VHF and said that it would make a round turn to starboard so the tanker could clear the channel. Shinyo Ocean initially indicated that it would alter to port and proceed toward the Strait of Hormuz. The situation changed when Shinyo Ocean encountered Silva, another vessel leaving the anchorage. Shinyo Ocean altered widely to starboard and turned back toward the passage channel, placing it on a collision course with Aseem.
At about 23:56, Shinyo Ocean told Aseem that it would continue swinging to starboard and that Aseem could proceed toward the anchorage. Aseem's third officer understood the exchange as indicating that Shinyo Ocean had stopped. Transport Malta considered it likely that “starboard” had been misheard as “stopped”. The bridge teams continued VHF exchanges even after a close-quarters situation had developed, instead of taking timely collision-avoidance action based on the changing visual and instrument picture.
At 00:06 local time, Aseem was heading 295° at 8.3 knots and Shinyo Ocean 173° at 7.3 knots. Aseem's bow struck Shinyo Ocean's port bow about 20 metres aft of the anchor windlass. Aseem sustained distorted and perforated plating around its bulbous bow, starboard bow, forecastle, and forward deck. Shinyo Ocean sustained extensive port-side shell and deck damage, including structural damage to a ballast tank and two cargo tanks. No fatalities, injuries, pollution, or cargo loss were reported.
Sequence of events
| Date/time | Event |
|---|---|
| 2019-03-25 before 00:00 | Aseem and Shinyo Ocean approached the Fujairah passage channel from opposite directions. |
| 2019-03-24 about 23:55 | Aseem proposed a starboard round turn and Shinyo Ocean initially indicated a port alteration. |
| 2019-03-24 about 23:56 | Shinyo Ocean said it would continue swinging to starboard; Aseem's third officer likely misheard the message. |
| 2019-03-25 00:06 | Aseem's bow struck Shinyo Ocean's port bow. |
| 2020 | Transport Malta issued Marine Safety Investigation Report No. 07/2020. |
Contributing factors
| Factor | Evidence status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Continued VHF communication in close quarters | Confirmed finding | Transport Malta found that continued VHF exchanges reduced the opportunity for timely corrective action after the situation became close-quarters. |
| Misunderstood passing intention | Confirmed finding | Aseem's third officer likely understood “starboard” as “stopped” during a critical exchange. |
| Shinyo Ocean's excess speed | Confirmed finding | Shinyo Ocean was proceeding faster than the Fujairah anchorage speed limit. |
| Rapidly changing traffic situation | Confirmed finding | Shinyo Ocean's encounter with Silva changed its intended manoeuvre and brought it back toward Aseem's track. |
Investigation
Transport Malta's Marine Safety Investigation Unit investigated the collision in report no. 07/2020. It identified continued VHF communication after the close-quarters situation developed and Shinyo Ocean's speed above local regulations as immediate safety factors. The report did not attribute the collision to Aseem's initial approach speed or planned round turn. It does not quantify repair cost, insured loss, or wider economic damage.