Two tankers, including one carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), have collided off the coast of Singapore, resulting in a release of around 1,796t of butane gas.

The LPG tanker, Crystal Sunrise, is registered in Singapore, while the other tanker involved in the incident, Astro Saturn, is Greece-registered.

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The collision, which was reported to the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) at around 2.30am on 17 April 2018, occurred when Crystal Sunrise was picking up its pilot near the designated western pilot boarding ground in Singapore territorial waters.

It happened nearly one nautical mile south of Tuas Extension near Singapore.

The collision has damaged Crystal Sunrise’s ballast tank and caused one of the vessel’s cargo tanks to leak butane.

The crew of the vessel took necessary measures and have succeeded in preventing the leak.

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“The crew of the vessel took necessary measures and have succeeded in preventing the leak.”

In a statement, MPA said: “As liquefied butane has a high evaporation rate, MPA has assessed that any leaked butane would have been carried southward away from mainland Singapore, where most of it would have rapidly dissipated to below flammable levels within an hour and pose no risk to shipping.”

Astro Saturn also sustained damages to its port anchor and bow.

Both Crystal Sunrise and Astro Saturn reported no injuries to their crew. The vessels have now been stabilised.

As a precautionary step, eight PSA Marine staff present in the surrounding area of the collision received medical check-ups at a hospital.

MPA is currently investigating the incident.

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