Oil Spills from Tanker off Penang, Malaysia

An oil spill originating from a vessel anchored in Perai Bulk Terminal, which was spotted on Friday night off the coast of Penang, Malaysia, was cleaned after affecting over 5 km of coastline, according to local media.

The salvage and cleanup operations of the oil spill, which spread to some 77 square miles to waters off Gurney Drive, were concluded after relevant authorities managed to contain and clean up the oil.

The authorities later identified the 2011-built product tanker Nautica Maharani as the source of the oil spill.

According to the latest AIS information, the 9,900 dwt vessel is currently anchored in the Malacca Strait off Penang. Data from VesselsValue shows that the ship is owned by Malaysia’s E.A. Technique Berhad.

The country’s Department of Environment (DOE), Penang Port Sdn Bhd and the Marine Department took part in the cleanup efforts, which were wrapped up today, around 3 pm local time.

The oil spill was dubbed as a major environmental disaster, the local media cited Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as saying. The minister added that the state government was not informed of the pollution until late on Saturday.

World Maritime News contacted relevant authorities for more details on the matter, however, they have still not replied.

World Maritime News Staff