A fully loaded 165,000 cbm liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Magellan Spirit, which ran aground off Nigeria on January 5, might siphon its cargo to another vessel after tugs were unsuccessful in pulling it free from the soft mud, tanker owner Teekay LNG Partners said.
According to Teekay, the crew, cargo and vessel are safe.
The company’s emergency response team continues to be mobilized and to work with all relevant authorities.
“Expert advisors are presently on location considering next steps, such as lightening the vessel by way of a ship-to-ship transfer of a part of the cargo, which could occur as early as next week, ” Teekay said in an emailed statement.
Another attempt to refloat the vessel is being planned to coincide with a high tide after the vessel has been lightened.
The vessel is grounded in the Gulf of Guinea area, some 5 nautical miles of Bonny island, Nigeria.
The LNG tanker was heading from Bonny to South Korea’s Gwangyang LNG Terminal to unload its cargo.
So far there have been no reports on the extent of the damage or the cause of the grounding.
The 2008-built vessel flies Danish flag and has 104,169 gross tonnage.
World Maritime News Staff