2025年3月18日凌晨，一艘液化天然气运输船在直布罗陀西部锚地与一艘散货船相撞。
根据直布罗陀广播公司GBC News的报道，容量为174000立方米的液化天然气油轮SM Kestrel在与容量为57273载重吨的锚定散货船Diamond Star II接触时正准备离开锚地。
事故发生在当地时间凌晨1点左右，地点是直布罗陀湾。有关部门证实，事故没有造成人员伤亡或污染，两艘船只受到轻微损坏。
然而，在直布罗陀海事局（GMA）、船级社和船旗国官员的验船师完成检查之前，两艘船都被命令留在锚地。
虽然SM Kestrel-Diamond Star II的碰撞是轻微的，但它发生在2022年OS 35事件之后不到两年，当时散货船OS 35在试图离开锚地时与液化天然气油轮Adam LNG相撞。
OS 35遭受了严重的船体损坏，进水，并最终搁浅以防止沉没。这艘船被宣布为全损，其残骸清除工作花了十个多月。
灾难发生后，一份调查报告建议对离境船只实行强制性引航。报告称，如果当时有引航员在船上，碰撞“很有可能”得以避免。
然而，尽管有这些发现，到目前为止还没有执行这样的要求。
直布罗陀政府证实，SM Kestrel在出发时没有引航员，这引起了人们的担忧，特别是考虑到直布罗陀目前的规定只要求引航员靠泊和离泊，而不是离港。
环境安全组织（ESG），一个总部位于直布罗陀的组织，对最近的碰撞事件做出了回应，敦促政府立即采取行动。该组织表示，有了现代追踪技术，当局应该有更好的安全措施来防止此类事件的发生。
与此同时，直布罗陀港务局表示，它正在审查这一情况，并已联系专业公司进行独立的航行风险评估。
这将决定是否应对离开西部锚地的船只实行强制引航。
直布罗陀位于地中海入口处，是重要的海上中转站。每年约有6万艘船只通过直布罗陀海峡，直布罗陀港口每年处理约2.4亿吨船只。
由于加油作业，西部锚地大部分时间都很繁忙，而东部锚地则用于船员更换和补给。
OS 35报告还强调了船舶交通服务（VTS）的问题。船长没有被要求通知VTS他的离港计划。这意味着VTS只有在发现船只偏离航线时才进行干预，而不是事先阻止碰撞。
报告建议直布罗陀当局不仅要考虑强制引航，而且要改善VTS和船舶之间的沟通，以确保更安全的离港。
▲Image for representation purposes only
▲图源：网络，侵权必删
英文原文
An LNG carrier has collided with a bulk carrier in Gibraltar’s western anchorage in the early hours of March 18, 2025.
Per reports from Gibraltar broadcaster GBC News, the LNG tanker SM Kestrel with a capacity of 174,000 cbm was maneuvering to leave the anchorage when it made contact with the anchored bulk carrier Diamond Star II, which has a capacity of 57,273-dwt.
The collision occurred around 1:00 am local time in the Bay of Gibraltar. Authorities have confirmed that the incident caused no injuries or pollution and both vessels sustained only minor damage.
However, both ships have been ordered to remain at anchor until surveyors from the Gibraltar Maritime Administration (GMA), Class, and Flag State officials complete their inspections.
Although the SM Kestrel-Diamond Star II collision was minor, it happened less than two years after the 2022 OS 35 incident, when the bulk carrier OS 35 collided with the LNG tanker Adam LNG while attempting to leave the anchorage.
The OS 35 suffered severe hull damage, took on water, and was eventually grounded to prevent sinking. The ship was declared a total loss, and its wreck removal operation took over ten months.
After the disaster, an investigation report recommended that pilotage be made mandatory for departing vessels. The report stated that the collision would “very likely” have been avoided if a pilot had been on board.
However, despite these findings, no such requirement has been enforced so far.
The Gibraltar government confirmed that the SM Kestrel did not have a pilot at the time of departure, which has raised concerns, especially considering that Gibraltar’s current regulations only require pilots for berthing and unberthing, not for departures.
The Environment Safety Group (ESG), a Gibraltar-based organisation, has responded to the latest collision by urging the government to take immediate action. The group stated that with modern tracking technology, authorities should have better safety measures in place to prevent such incidents.
Meanwhile, the Gibraltar Port Authority has stated that it is reviewing the situation and has reached out to specialised companies to conduct an independent Navigational Risk Assessment.
This will determine whether compulsory pilotage should be introduced for vessels departing the western anchorage.
Gibraltar located at the entrance of the Mediterranean, is a key maritime transit point. The strait sees around 60,000 vessel transits each year, and Gibraltar’s ports handle about 240 million gross tonnes of vessel calls annually.
The western anchorage is mostly busy due to bunkering operations, while the eastern anchorage is used for crew changes and provisioning.
The OS 35 report also highlighted issues with Vessel Traffic Services (VTS). The master of the vessel was not required to inform VTS of his departure plan. This meant that VTS only intervened when it noticed the ship was off course, instead of preventing the collision beforehand.
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