Safmarine box ship collides with oil tanker off Singapore

Safmarine box ship collides with oil tanker off Singapore About 50 tons of fuel has reportedly spilled from the 3,101-TEU containership 'S.A. Helderberg,' managed and operated by Safmarine Container Lines, after it collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore early Saturday morning.
   The 1977-built Belgium-flagged box ship, under bareboat charter from Greek ship owners Danaos Corp., was operating between the Far East and South Africa on Safmarine's Safari II service when the collision with the 77,356-deadweight-ton Singapore-registered tanker 'Ocean Sapphire' occurred at about 5:14 a.m. local time.
   No crewmembers of the 'SA Helderberg' were injured, nor was there any cargo damage. The vessel sustained some damage on its starboard side with water inflow, but Safmarine said this is under control and a pump is being used to discharge ingress.
   A tug operated by SvitzerWijsmuller — one of Safmarine's sister companies in the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group — is alongside the vessel and has lifted additional salvage pumps and power pack on board as a precaution.
   Malaysian Marine authorities have taken over pollution control, placing a boom around the vessel to ensure no fuel escapes from the area. Two Malaysian antipollution vessels are on standby next to the 'S.A. Helderberg' and Singapore authorities also have vessels on standby in case any oil enters Singapore waters.
   There is no official information available at this stage on the condition of the 'Ocean Sapphire,' but reports suggest that it suffered no serious damage.