[2] In 1951 Dromus suffered an explosion and fire that killed 22 of her crew and five oil terminal staff, after which she was extensively repaired.

[3] On the night of 19–20 August Dromus was loading at Wharf Number 6 of the oil terminal on the island of Pulau Bukom off Singapore.

[4] During the process of topping up one of her forward tanks there was an overflow of oil from her foredeck and at about 0050 hrs[5] she suffered an explosion and fire[6] that took hold from her forecastle as far aft as her central superstructure.

[4] Two Singapore Harbour Board fire-fighting tugs, Griper and Tarik, came to assist, along with five water-boats belonging to Hammer and Company based on Pulau Bukom.

[5] The disaster killed three European officers[8] and 22 Chinese and Malayans,[9] including the ship's carpenter who was rescued but died in Singapore General Hospital of his injuries.

[6] The officer of the watch was found to have failed to keep a close enough eye on the topping up process,[6] but he was among the dead and so could not be interviewed or called to account.

Queen Elizabeth II made Dromus' master, Henry Watkins, and chief engineer, Kenneth Armstrong, MBEs.

On 28 April 1958 at Balikpapan Harbour, in the East Kalimantan Province of Borneo, a Douglas B-26 Invader bomber aircraft, flown by the CIA and painted black and with no markings,[19] attacked the Shell oil terminal there.

The Invader bombed and sank Eagle Oil and Shipping's SS San Flaviano and made an unsuccessful attack on Anglo-Saxon Petroleum's MV Daronia.

[20][21][22] Immediately after the attack Daronia left Balikpapan for the safety of Singapore, taking with her 26 of San Flaviano's rescued crew.