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A
tanker carrying sludge caught fire off the
waters of Pengerang here Monday, but authorities
say the mishap has not caused any spill while
damage to the ship was
minimal.
The tanker had 17 crew members on board; most
managed to save themselves by jumping off the
burning vessel but two Indonesians are still
unaccounted for.
The fire was extinguished by a heavy downpour at
the time.
Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Osman Mohamed Sebot said
that marine police personnel rescued 10 of the
ship’s crew members soon after the 11am fire.
“We are still carrying out a search and rescue
operation to locate the missing two,” he said,
adding that they have been identified only as
“Mustakim” and “Slihuddin.”
The search and rescue operation was being
conducted by the marine police, Malaysian
Maritime Enforcement Agency Southern
Region and the Marine Department, he added.
Two Singapore Police Coast Guard boats and the
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore are
also assisting in the search and rescue
operation.
Supt Osman said that two of the crew members
were Chinese nationals while the rest were
Indonesians. At least
five members of the crew suffered minor injuries
and were fished out by a passing merchant ship
on its way to Singapore.
He added that the tanker, which was carrying
sludge from Indonesia to Singapore, had anchored
five nautical miles off the shores of Pengerang
four days ago.
The tanker, the Vertex, is registered in San
Lorenzo Honolulu, Hawaii, and is owned by a
company based in Singapore.
Johor Marine Police Squad 2 chief Asst Comm Mohd
Khamsani Abdul Rahman said that so far,
investigations showed that there was no leak on
the tanker.
He said according to the vessel’s captain, the
fire started in the kitchen area and was fanned
by the windy weather.
This is the third sea tragedy in the area since
April 28 when six Pakistanis drowned after their
vessel capsized. On May 13, a fibreglass boat
with about 30 people sank in the same waters on
May 13, only seven bodies were recovered from
that tragedy.
Source:
The STAR
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