Panama cargo ship collides with Chinese boat:Water floods the boat, catches fire; fish crates fall into the sea

A Panama-flagged cargo ship collided with a Chinese fishing boat near Singapore. A video of the incident has now gone viral on social media. The video shows the cargo ship ‘First Margaux’ rapidly approaching the fishing boat ‘Looking Yuanyu 108’ from behind and colliding with part of it. After the collision, the smaller boat spun around and its deck filled with water. Crew members on board were seen holding on to the railing to steady themselves. The incident took place at around 5 p.m. on 17 September. Both vessels had departed from the same port near Singapore in the morning and were travelling in the same channel heading west through the Singapore Strait. See pictures related to the incident… The cargo ship wanted to overtake The Panamanian cargo ship was in fact overtaking a fishing boat. According to the report, it was travelling around 3 knots faster. Even after the collision, the cargo ship continued travelling west at 10 knots for around 2 hours. It then stopped. There are no reports of anyone being injured in the incident. The fishing boat’s AIS signal continued to be received after the collision. This indicates that the boat continued moving after the incident and later reached a nearby berth. A third ship may have caused the collision Maritime analyst Sal Mercogliano said on social media that a third bulk carrier may have come into the path of the Panamanian cargo ship. This may have left the small fishing boat trapped between the two large vessels. He also said that a video of a collision involving a ship shows only one side of the incident, making it difficult to understand the full situation from the video alone. The Panama Maritime Authority has begun an investigation into the accident. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority has not yet issued a public statement. Malacca Strait among the world’s busiest sea routes The accident took place in the Singapore Strait, which is near the Malacca Strait. The Singapore and Malacca straits are among the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. They are crucial routes for maritime trade between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Around 40% of the world’s global trade goods pass through these sea routes. These routes are also important for transporting around one-third of the world’s oil by sea. Large numbers of container ships, oil tankers and other cargo vessels pass through here every day.