Malaysia’s coast guard said today that one of two large tankers involved in a collision that left both on fire has left the scene and is said to have disabled its tracking system..

The Coast Guard said it was monitoring the tanker’s location Ceres I, flying the flag of Sao Tome and Principe and reportedly within Malaysian territorial waters.

Ceres I was involved in a reported collision early yesterday, Friday, with the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile about 55km northeast of Singapore’s Pedra Branca Island, the Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said yesterday.

Of the 40 Ceres I crew members, the MPA said, 14 were evacuated by a Singapore Air Force helicopter while the remaining 26 conducted firefighting operations on board.

The Chinese shipowner of Ceres I was unavailable for comment yesterday and today.

All 22 Hafnia crew members were removed from the ship and arrived in Singapore, the company that manages it said yesterday.

Hafnia, the company that manages the Hafnia Nile, said yesterday that a tugboat was in the area to assist the ship, with special tugs en route to assist efforts to extinguish the fire.

Video posted by the Malaysian Coast Guard shows the smoke-blackened tanker Hafnia Nile floating.

The exact circumstances that led to the incident are not known.

MPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment today.

Ceres 1 is a very large crude oil tanker (VLCC) which according to vessel tracking data was carrying approximately 2 million barrels of Iranian crude.

However, Iran’s oil ministry said today that neither ship was carrying Iranian crude.

The area where Ceres 1 moored is known to be used by so-called dark fleet vessels to transport Iranian oil in violation of US sanctions, Michelle Wiese Bockman, an analyst at Lloyd’s List Intelligence, said yesterday.

Matt Stanley of EMEA & APAC/Kpier said yesterday that Ceres 1 has joined the ‘dark fleet’ several times — referring to the cases where ships turn off their tracking transponders.

The 74,000 deadweight ton tanker Hafina Nile was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha, according to Kpler and LSEG vessel tracking data

Singapore is Asia’s largest oil trading hub and the world’s largest fuel port. The waters surrounding it are vital trade lanes between Asia and Europe and the Middle East and among the busiest sea lanes in the world.