MV Thorco Cloud was a general cargo ship owned by Thorco Projects that sank in the Singapore Strait in December 2015 after a collision with the chemical tanker MV Stolt Commitment.[1] The collision resulted in six casualties from a total crew of 12. The collision caused the ship to split into two parts, which sank approximately 1.85 kilometres (1.15 mi) apart at a depth of 70 metres (230 ft) in the traffic separation scheme of the Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.[4] The wreck was removed in 2019.
 The MV FWN Rapide, a sister ship of the MV Thorco Cloud transiting the Kiel Canal in 2018.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner | Thorco Projects |
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Damen Shipyard, Galați, Romania |
| Yard number | #828 |
| Launched | 1 July 2004 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk in a collision with the MV Stolt Commitment in the Strait of Singapore [1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | General cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 145.63 m (478 ft) |
| Beam | 18.36 m (60 ft) |
| Draught | 7.8 m (26 ft) |
| Depth | 10.3 m (34 ft) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph) (service) |
| Capacity | 686 TEU |
| Crew | 12 crew |
Construction
editThe ship was constructed by Damen shipyards in Galați, Romania where it was started, and Foxhol, The Netherlands where it was completed. The ship was launched in July 2004 as the MV S. Partner and was one of a series of identical sister ships.[3]
History
editThe ship has undergone name and Flag State changes throughout its service life,[3] including:
- MV S. Partner flagged in the Marshall Islands.
- MV UAL Gabon flagged in the Marshall Islands.
- MV Molene flagged in Antigua and Barbuda.
- MV BBC Brazil flagged in Antigua and Barbuda.
- MV Thorco Cloud flagged in Antigua and Barbuda.
Collision and sinking
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On 16 December 2015 the ship departed the port of Batu Ampar, Indonesia with a crew of 12 bound for Durban, South Africa and loaded with a cargo of railway rails. During Thorco Cloud's transit into the Singapore Strait traffic separation scheme, chemical tanker MV Stolt Commitment collided with Thorco Cloud, breaking the ship into two parts and causing them both to sink within the strait. The bow section of the Thorco Cloud continued to float after the collision and drifted, while the aft section containing the bridge and engine room sank almost immediately. Six crew members were rescued from the incident, and six more crew members were declared missing, later found deceased.[5]
The Standard P&I Club instructed Guangzhou Salvage to recover the wreck of the Thorco Cloud, which was performed in 2019.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Danish Freighter Sinks After Colliding With Chemical Tanker". Sky News. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ "Thorco Cloud (9290050)". Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "THORCO CLOUD, IMO 9290050". Baltic Shipping. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ "THORCO CLOUD: Wreck Removal – 2015 to 2019". ABL Group. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ Tjahjono, Soerjanto (2018). "Marine Safety Investigation Report: Collision between Antigua and Barbuda Registered General Cargo THORCO CLOUD and Cayman Islands Registered Tanker STOLT COMMITMENT Singapore Strait 16 December 2015" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Committee: 1–5.
- ^ "Guangzhou Salvage wins deal to raise Thorco Cloud". Tradewinds. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
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