Fire onboard two tankers: Two crewmen airlifted to hospital, remaining crew accounted for

SINGAPORE: All crew members on board the two tankers that caught fire "within Singapore’s maritime search and rescue region" have been accounted for following search and rescue operations.

The Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said it was alerted at about 6.15am on Friday (Jul 19) to a fire onboard a Singapore-flagged tanker, Hafnia Nile, and a São Tomé and Príncipe-flagged tanker, Ceres I.

Both tankers were within Singapore’s maritime search and rescue region, about 55km northeast of Pedra Branca, the authority added.

“MPA has requested passing vessels to assist in the search and rescue of the crew,” the authority said in a media release on Friday. 

It said in an update later on Friday that all 22 and 40 crew members on the Hafnia Nile and Ceres I respectively have been accounted for. There were no Singaporeans on board.  

The Republic of Singapore Navy dispatched its Formidable-class frigate, the RSS Supreme, which picked up 16 crew members from the Hafnia Nile. Another six crew members, who were in Hafnia Nile's lifeboat, were picked up by a Malaysian government vessel before being transferred to the RSS Supreme.

All 22 Hafnia Nile crewmen are receiving medical attention on board the RSS Supreme, which is on its way back to Singapore, MPA said.

TWO CREWMEN EVACUATED BY HELICOPTER

A Singapore-flagged supply vessel that was in the vicinity of the incident, Dolphin 1, also picked up 14 crew members from the Ceres I. Two were evacuated by a Republic of Singapore Airforce (RSAF) helicopter to Singapore General Hospital, where they are receiving medical attention.

The remaining 26 Ceres I crew members are conducting fire-fighting operations onboard.

"Salvage and fire-fighting assets have been arranged by both vessel owners to support the fire-fighting efforts and subsequent towage of the vessels to safety," MPA said.

Navigational traffic is not affected, it added.