Tanker catches fire, no spill say authorities
Gladys Tay and Desiree Tresa Gasper, The Star 18 May 09;
JOHOR BARU: 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.
Tanker catches fire, 15 crew members rescued, 2 missing
Jassmine Shadiqe, New Straits Times 18 May 09;
A tanker, which was ferrying used oil from Indonesia to Singapore, caught fire some five nautical miles from Pengerang here today.
Fifteen of the 17 crew members, made up of Indonesians and Chinese nationals, jumped ship and were rescued. However two other crew members are still missing at Press time.
The tanker, named Vertex, is registered in San Lorenzo Honululu, Hawaii, and is owned by a company based in Singapore. It had anchored in Malaysian waters for the past four days.
In the 11am incident, it is learnt there was a small explosion prior to thick black smoke being emitted from the rear of the vessel.
District police chief Superintendent Osman Sebot said 10 of the Indonesians were rescued by the Marine Operations Force, while five others, including two Chinese nationals who sustained minor injures, were rescued by a passing merchant ship, which took them to Singapore.
"A search and rescue operation has been launched to find for the two missing Indonesian crew members identified as Mustakim and Slihuddin," Osman said.
He also said that the fire was doused by heavy rain shortly after it broke out. The tanker, which was damaged at its rear, would be towed back to Singapore soon.
"There is a slight oil spill but the situation is not critical or dangerous," Osman added.
Singapore Tanker Catches Fire, Five Injured, Two Missing
Bernama 18 May 09;
JOHOR BAHARU, May 18 (Bernama) -- A tanker carrying about 2,000 tonnes of used oil caught fire about 3.3 nautical miles off Pengerang, Kota Tinggi, near here Monday.
Region II Marine Operations Force Head of the Intelligence Division DSP Rosman Ismail said 15 of 17 crewmen were rescued in the 11am incident.
Five of them are seriously injured while two Indonesian crew identified only as Mustakim and Salehuddin, are still missing.
"The fire caused oil spill but it is not serious," Rosman said.
The crewmen, comprising 15 Indonesians and two Chinese nationals jumped into the sea when the tanker owned by a Singapore company caught fire.
Ten of them were rescued by the Marine Operations Force at about 11.10am while five others were rescued by the Singapore coast guard several minutes later.
Heavy rain doused the fire on the ship which was registered in San Lorenzo, Argentina.
The ship was carrying used oil from Indonesia to Singapore and had moored there since four days ago.
Explosions were heard during the fire.
-- BERNAMA
Tanker catches fire, two Indonesian crew missing
Gladys Tay and Desiree Tresa Gasper, The Star 19 May 09;
JOHOR BARU: A tanker carrying sludge caught fire forcing 17 of its crew members to jump overboard off the waters of Pengerang near here.
Most of the crew managed to save themselves from the burning vessel, but two Indonesian crew members are still missing.
The fire, which was put out from a downpour, did not cause excessive damage to the ship and so far no oil spill has been reported.
Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Osman Mohamed Sebot said that marine police personnel rescued 10 of the crew soon after the 11am fire.
All of them are now at the Pengerang police station.
He added that the marine police, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Southern Region and the Marine Department were carrying out the operation.
He said that two of the crew members were Chinese nationals while the rest were Indonesians.
Supt Osman said that five crew members suffered minor injuries and were fished out by a passing merchant ship on its way to Singapore.
He added that the tanker, mt Vertex, which was from Indonesia to Singapore, had anchored five nautical miles from Pengerang four days ago.
Supt Osman also said that it was 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 according to the skipper, the fire started in the kitchen area and was fanned by strong winds.
He said that two Singapore Police Coast Guard boats and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore assisted them in the search and rescue operation.
