Fifty-one days since it exploded in Malaysian waters, killing three crew, the Pablo tanker remains alone, untended, with the authorities at a loss with what to do with the wreck, a sharp warning of the hugely damaging threat posed by the growth of the so-called dark fleet.
MarineTraffic data shows the ship remains at anchor off the coast of Malaysia today. Exclusive satellite images taken yesterday and sent to Splash by Planet Labs (see below) show the vessel and its severely damaged deck all by itself.
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“Unfortunately this ship is not yet a wreck in the Nairobi sense and there may be no effective hull insurer, or it may have refused to accept that the vessel is a constructive total loss,” Turner told Splash, adding: “As there is no cargo either, it may simply be that there is no one with an interest in the ship who has enough cash to pay a tug to take it to Alang for demolition.”
Mike Salthouse, a sanctions expert and head of external affairs at NorthStandard, a P&I club, told Splash: “The fact that the Pablo is still sitting there with no activity suggests that the relevant policies / underwriters are not responding. That of course is the point. Vessels engaging in sanctions evasion or operating beyond the reach of EU/G7 sanctions programmes may not have credible insurance coverage.”
Southeast Asia, a major crossroads for the tanker trades, sees many shadow tankers passing through its busy waters. In October last year the Djibouti-registered Young Yong ran aground off the Riau Islands in Indonesia, a ship which had been sanctioned by the US for its alleged links to Iran.
The growing use of the dark fleet, whose numbers are thought to top 600 ships, is resulting in accidents around the world, with port authorities increasingly concerned that they will be left with significant clean-up bills as is the case with the Pablo.
From the article:
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