2 Killed After Fire Breaks Out Aboard Oil Tanker Off South Korea

Two crew members died after a fire broke out on an oil products tanker off Incheon, South Korea, late Thursday.

The other 16 crew members were rescued and were in stable condition, the Coast Guard said.

The fire started at about 10:38 p.m. on Aug. 27 aboard the 7,000-ton-class Korean vessel, around 7.4 km north of Jawoldo in Ongjin County, Incheon, west of Seoul.

The two men who died were in their 60s and 20s. They were found in cardiac arrest in the engine room and taken to Jinduh Port on Yeongheungdo, but later died.

There were 18 crew members on board. Eleven were South Korean nationals, including the two who died, while seven were foreign nationals.

The fire is believed to have started in the engine room but did not spread to the vessel’s oil storage area.

The tanker was carrying 12,400 kilolitres of bunker C oil.

The vessel left Incheon Port at around 8:40 p.m. on Thursday and was heading to Ulsan Port when the fire started.

The shipping company reported the fire to the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Center.

The Coast Guard sent 24 patrol vessels, one aircraft and three vessels from other agencies to the scene.

The fire was fully extinguished at around 4 a.m. on Friday, about five hours and 22 minutes after it started.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries temporarily issued a “caution” level maritime accident crisis alert.

The Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the fire and assess the damage to the vessel.

The shipping company will inspect the damaged tanker with the relevant agencies. If the vessel is found to be safe, it will be moved by tugboat.

References: yna, koreatimes