Collision between panamax bulk carrier and brand new 15,000 teu container vessel

Panamax bulk carrier Galapagos (IMO 9473169) collided with ultra-large container vessel Zephyr Lumos (IMO 9864227) in the Strait of Malacca, off Johor in Malaysia over the weekend of July 10th/11th.

Malta-registered Galapagos was reported to have experienced a steering system failure, causing it to move to the right and block the route of UK-flagged Zephyr Lumos, which was delivered only this year to Zodiac Maritime.

The ships parted after collision and both were anchored, with the Galapagos near or at the collision site and the Zephyr Lumos to the north of the site.

Zephyr Lumos, delivered in January, was en route from Singapore to Suez. The Galapagos was en route from Singapore to Visakhapatnam, India.

There were no injuries reported, but there were signs of an oil spillage after the bulk carrier was badly punctured in its starboard cargo deck area.

The Malaysian Coast guard reported that the two vessels collided at 14.1nm southwest of Kuala Sungai. The agency said the Galapagos reportedly suffered a rudder failure that resulted in the ship crossing in from of the Zephyr Lumos.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Zephyr Lumos is a new 2021-built containership registered in the United Kingdom. It measures 366-meters-long and 15,000 TEU capacity. AIS ship tracking shows it is underway from Singapore to the Suez Canal.

MV Galapagos, registered in Malta, measures 225-meters-long and is 76,000 DWT. It was built in 2010. AIS shows it is sailing from Gladstone, Australia to Visakhapatnam, India.

2010-built, Malta-flagged, 41,342 gt Galapagos is owned and managed by Primco Ltd of Athens, Greece. It is entered with North of England on behalf of Primco Ltd.

2021-built, UK-flagged, 149,525 gt Zephyr Lumos is owned by Prayril Shipping Inc care of manager Zodiac Maritime Ltd of London, UK. It is entered with Steamship Mutual (Americas Syndicate) on behalf of Prayril Shipping Inc.