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Cargo ship sinks after collision with LNG tanker

Cargo ship sinks after collision with LNG tanker
A general cargo ship sank after it collided with a LNG tanker early Tuesday off the coast of Belgium, and the crew for both ships were reportedly safe.

The 2002-built, 8,850-dwt freighter Flinterstar is owned by Dutch shipping firm Flinter, which said that oil has been leaking from the partially submerged ship.

“The Flinterstar is stable, there is no emergency. At this time, we are talking to salvage companies together with insurance to decide how the vessel will be salvaged,” said Flinter in a short statement on its website.

The 210,000 cu m Q-Flex LNG tanker Al Oraiq is jointly owned by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Nakilat.

“K Line LNG Shipping (UK) Limited reports that today (6 October) at approximately 0400 local time its LNG carrier Al Oraiq whilst on passage to Zeebrugge LNG terminal, came in contact with a container vessel outside the port of Zeebrugge,” the company stated.

“Al Oraiq, which is in a stable condition and is safely anchored near Zeebrugge fairway, will shortly move alongside,” K Line LNG Shipping said.

The cause of the accident is not yet determined and an investigation will be launched.

The LNG tanker was transporting a cargo of chilled gas from Qatar’s Ras Laffan port for unloading at Zeebrugge terminal. The damaged cargo ship was enroute from Antwerp to Bilbao with a cargo of steel plate and crane building equipment.