Kuala Lumpur, May. Malaysian maritime authorities said three crew members of a Gabon-registered oil tanker are missing after the tanker caught fire on Monday in waters off Malaysia’s southern coast.
The Malaysian Maritime Law Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said the tanker was en route from China to Singapore with 28 crew members on board, adding that 23 were rescued by MMEA and nearby vessels.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mathematics said it began search and rescue operations after receiving an alert at 16:00 local time about a tanker fire, according to Reuters.
The shipping agency said an investigation is underway into the cause of the accident.
In a separate statement, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore identified the ship as “Pablo”.
Pablo Union Shipping, the ship’s owner and is based in the Marshall Islands according to shipping databases, could not be located for comment. The ship’s insurers are unknown.
WWA