The Star Centurion’s Unexpected Drama in the Singapore Strait
What Went Down?
Picture a calm day in the busy Singapore Strait, where hundreds of ships hustle and bustle. Suddenly, the MV Star Centurion – an undersea cable and pipe‑laying ship – gets a paddle‑bump from a hefty tanker, and the whole thing goes “whoosh” into chaos.
Collision Details
- The incident happened on Sunday, 13 Jan, north of Bintan island (the twin of Singapore). Bintan is a nice island off Indonesia’s coast.
- The star-citizen ship, officially Vanuatu‑flagged (but ownership details are fuzzy), was carrying around 13,000 deadweight tonnes of cable equipment.
- Its opponent was the Antea, a 40,000‑tonne product tanker owned by Pertamina, the Indonesian state oil giant.
- Right before the collision, the Centurion was moored in the Horsburgh OPL zone – a fuel‑station “tide” for ships on the eastern edge of the Strait.
When the Capsize Happens
The Star Centurion took a tumble, partially submerging itself in the water. Thanks to a quick response from the Indonesian Coast Guard in Tanjung Uban, the ship didn’t completely sink. The crew was on the inside, but safe and sound thanks to the swift rescue by Singaporean authorities.
Stakeholders & Tune‑outs
- Plucky Rei from Stomp spotted the event and shared the scoop via a WhatsApp screenshot – the modern eyewitness.
- Indonesian Coast Guard head of operations, Samsul Nizar, confirmed that the vessel had capsized but is still afloat and under surveillance.
- Pertamina, though the owner of the tanker, remains on standby, waiting to comment on the incident.
Time‑Clock & Location
The whole mishap unfolded around 08:45 UTC, with the tanker on a north‑south tack that collided with a ship that was anchored in a fuel‑station area.
Why This Matters
The Singapore Strait is the world’s busiest commercial corridor, and an incident involving two major vessels raises eyebrows, not only for safety but also for how maritime navigation is managed in a traffic‑heavy area.
Bottom Line
When a cablelaying giant and a tanker collide in a sea lane as crowded as a New York crosswalk, the result is a capsized vessel that’s still afloat, a crew rescued, and a jiggly crisis that was solved before the tides could do more damage. The big take‑away: maritime safety is no joke, and ship‑owners may still be speaking in hushed tones about who owns the Star Centurion.