The mysterious crewless oil tanker Tamaya 1 that washed ashore early this month in Liberia is listing to the starboard, according to the country’s Ministry of National Defense.
In addition, following an inspection by the Liberian Coast Guard, it has been determined that the 1,441 DWT oil tanker was gutted by fire, leaving the bridge-upper and control center- burned along with all relevant documentation, the ministry told World Maritime News in a statement.
In addition, the search also found that the ship’s hatches were opened and contained a mixture of oil and water. The vessel was known to be carrying two raft boats but only one was observed during the search.
The Nigerian flagged 1980-built vessel drifted on the shores of Robertsports, Grand Cape Mount County on 3 May 2016.
Information gathered by the Liberian Coast Guard (LCG), from the Maritime Regional Monitoring Rescue Coordination Center (MRMRCC) indicates that some fishermen had previously observed that Tamaya 1 had been in distress within Sierra Leonean waters and had been drifting towards Liberia on 26 April 2016.
Based on the ship’s latest AIS data dating back to April 22, the tanker was last underway toward the port of Dakar, Senegal.
The whereabouts of the abandoned vessel’s crew are yet to be determined.
“Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense assures the public that the Liberian Coast Guard in concert with other security agencies are further investigating to unravel circumstances surrounding the abandoned oil tanker and its subsequent drifting on the Liberian shores,” the ministry said.
World Maritime News Staff; Image Courtesy: Preston Veteran Gayflor /Farbric Radio, Video: VIDEOLANDMARKS/Youtube