This account of the aftermath of the Pablo explosion on May 1 is chilling. Three crew were killed. But now no one is standing up to take charge of disposal of the wreck, much less the other damages it caused. Malaysia is the nation where the ship blew up.
No hull insurers have stepped forward. The ship was flagged in Gabon, not known for strict enforcement of owner obligations. And the ship is operated as a single-ship shell company, based in Marshall Islands. It appears not to have insurance.
It’s clear the vessel was engaged in transporting sanctioned oil. The cleanup will likely never be paid for.
The ship is not yet a ‘wreck’ in the sense of the Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention, which would allow a state (Malaysia) to remove it if it posed a danger to safety of lives, goods, sea traffic, or the environment. The hull might have some salvage value, so a hull insurance firm might be interested. So we have to wait to see what happens.
International rules are set up so that accidents like this will be taken care of, even though extensive and complex litigation may be required. But the countries engaging in sanctioned trade are placing others at risk and expense when something goes wrong.
It’s certainly a negative for Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and other nations who are using these shadow ships to move their oil. Those countries ought to step up and guarantee the costs through their insurers when these maritime accidents happen.
Sam Chambers June 21, 2023
Exclusive satellite images of wrecked Pablo tanker cast dark light over shadow fleet
Marcus Hand | Jun 23, 2023
Panama expels 6.5 million gt of ships linked to Iran, North Korea or sanctions
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