36 rescued at sea after ships catch fire near Pedra Branca

No reports of oil spill after tankers collide; two crew members airlifted to hospital

- Sarah Koh and Kolette Lim

Thirty-six crew members from two ships were rescued in waters about 55km north-east of Pedra Branca after the vessels caught fire in the early hours of July 19.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement that 26 of the 40 crew members on one of the vessels – the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker Ceres I – remain on board to fight the fire.

The 22-member crew on board the Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile have all been rescued, MPA added.

Both ships caught fire at about 6am, in a part of the sea that falls within Singapore’s Maritime Search and Rescue Region. So far, there have been no reports of an oil spill.

Pedra Branca is an island located at the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait, about 24 nautical miles east of Singapore.