Front-Altair

The Nigerian Navy Ship 'Beecroft' has arrested three stowaways aboard a the 'Front Altair' at Lagos roadstead, bound for Europe, on Dec 27, 2023. The stowaways; Ebuka Daniel, 29-year-old, from Enugu state, Samuel Abraham, 32-year-old, from Edo State and Christian Happy, 32-year-old, from Delta state, were arrested for attempting illegal migration on the tanker. The patrol team extracted the stowaways concealed in the rudder compartment of the vessel, preventing them from exposure to life-threatening situations during the long voyage. They had boarded it with the assistance of fishermen for a fee of N20.000 and N5.000 respectively. The stowaways have been handed to the Nigerian Immigration Service for necessary action.

After the blast near the Strait of Hormuz in June the "Front Altair" will be back in service in the fourth quarter after repairs. The tanker was presently undergoing repairs and expected to resume operation in the fourth quarter of 2019. The company's modern vessels are designed to withstand catastrophic events in order to ensure the safety of the crew and cargo. The "Front Altair" had extensive insurance coverage and the impact on the company's earnings is expected to be minor.

The "Front Altair" will undertake a ship-to-ship transfer its cargo before heading for repair. The tanker was now anchored off Fujairah in the UAE and in a stable condition. The crew members of the "Front Altair" have either returned home or have re-embarked the vessel to assist with recovery operations and transfer of cargo into another Frontline operated vessel. Frontline expressed its gratitude to all parties who ensured the crew's safety and comfort during this difficult ordeal. Following the transfer of the cargo and further inspection the "Front Altair" will be sent to a shipyard for repairs. Frontline continued to work with third parties, including governmental officials, to determine the cause of the explosion. As previously reported, the possibility that it was caused by mechanical or human error has been ruled out completely. The "Front Altair" had loaded 75,000 tons of naphtha from the Takeer Refinery Terminal in Ruwais and sailed on June 11 at 7:30 p.m. After crossing the Strait of Hormuz at around 9 p.m. on June 12, data showed the vessel to have taken a sharp deviation from its course at 2:47 a.m. on June 13 with the speed dropping from 13.5 knots to eventually drifting at mid-sea. At the same time, the "Hyundai Dubai" was 6.8 nautical miles away from the "Front Altair" and made a sharp course correction towards the tanker on receiving the distress alert. She stopped near the "Front Altair" between 3:30 and 3:50 a.m. to pick up the 23 crew members who abandoned the vessel following the fire that was reportedly due to a surface missile. Following the salvage work of SMIT salvage, the tanker entered Dubai Dry Dock for repairs on July 17 around 4 a.m.