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The missing crew members of an oil product tanker that crashed with a bulk carier in the Straits of Malacca are not expected to have survived the accident. The collision highlights the dangers facing vessel crews trying to navigate ships through the crowded straits.
Officials in Malaysia noted that since the tanker caught fire, the crew may have been caught in the cabin or engine room, unable to escape. Not only could the crew have been trapped, but the fire, smoke, heat and lack of oxygen due to the fire probably contributed to a quick death.
The rescue operation is being headed up by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, and while they are not optimistic about the missing crew’s chances they have so far rescued sixteen other crew members. Of the nine missing members, two bodies have so far been recovered.
The missing crew members were on a Liberian-flagged vessel that was carrying about 53,000 metric tons of naphtha. Naphtha, a light oil product, is a very flammable product and could have easily ignited as a result of the crash.
Maritime accident experts are investigating the incident to try and determine the cause of the crash.
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