Tanker held after deadly collision with dredge

Written by Nick Blenkey
Deadly tanker and dredge collision caused two fatalities

Hopper dredge capsized after collision with tanker. [Photo: Phillipine Coast Guard]

A 50,420 dwt, 2011-built products tanker, the Petite Soeur, is currently being held in the Philippines following a collision with a Sierra Leone flagged hopper dredge.

The Marshall Islands registered Petite Soeur operates in the Norden tanker pool and is managed by Norden Synergy Ship Management.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard, two crew members— a Filipino and a Chinese — aboard the dredge, the M/V Hong Hai, died in the collision. The Chinese crew member drowned. The Filipino, the vessel’s safety officer, subsequently died of head injuries after he and 15 other crew members were rescued by a good samaritan vessel. Three other Chinese crew members are missing,

The collision occurred in the waters between Corregidor Island and Mariveles, Bataan, around 9.30 p.m., Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Local media reports quote PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armand Balilo as saying that collision between the 140-meter dredge and the 183-meter tanker caused the dredge to capsize while the tanker was not damaged

According to the Equasis data base, the 2019-built dredge is owned by HF Marine of Singapore and managed by Malaysia-based DFS Maritime Services Sdn Bhd.

The Philippine Coast Guard said all the 21 crew members of Petite Soeur were safe and in good physical condition. While the ship appeared undamaged, the PCG has not ruled out the possibility of any spill from the vessel, which, as of Saturday, was being held in the Port of Mariveles while investigations continued.

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