Two oil tankers — the Front Eagle and Adalynn — collided off the eastern coast of the UAE on Tuesday morning, sparking large fires and raising concerns over possible environmental damage. The Front Eagle, a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) loaded with 2mn barrels of Basrah Heavy grade crude from Iraq, was en route to Zhoushan, China. MEES can confirm that the lifter was China’s Unipec.
The Adalynn’s activity isn’t as clear. The Suezmax vessel appears to have drydocked in Duqm, Oman earlier this year before sailing to the UAE’s Khor Fakkan in early May, where it has been idle at anchorage for over a month with no cargo onboard. Raw AIS data shows the vessel, which is owned by India’s Global Shipping Holding, departing late on 16 June signaling the Suez Canal – just hours before the collision. The Adalynn could be classified as part of the so-called ‘dark fleet’ having transported both Venezuelan and Russian crude in the last two years. (CONTINUED - 1038 WORDS)
