2 crewmen airlifted to hospital after fire on ships near Pedra Branca

[Update 3.30pm] All 42 crew onboard the two vessels that caught fire near Pedra Branca on Friday (July 19) morning have been accounted for, MPA said.

In an statement on Friday afternoon, MPA said there were 22 crew members onboard Hafnia Nile and 40 crew members onboard Ceres I.

There were no Singaporeans in both vessels, the ministry added.

MPA said that the Republic of Singapore Navy ship RSS Supreme is on the way back to Singapore with Hafnia Nile's crew.

16 of them were picked up by the navy, while the remaining six in Hafnia Nile's lifeboat were picked up by a Malaysian government vessel and subsequently transferred to RSS Supreme.

"All Hafnia Nile crew are receiving medical attention on board RSS Supreme," MPA said.

Dolphin 1, a Singapore-flagged supply vessel that was in the vicinity of the incident, picked up 14 crew from Ceres I. Two of them were evacuated by a Republic of Singapore Air Force helicopter and they are receiving medical attention at Singapore General Hospital.

The remaining 26 crew from the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker are currently 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. Navigational traffic is not affected," MPA added.

Two crewmen were airlifted to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) after two vessels caught fire near Pedra Branca on Friday (July 19) morning at about 6am. 

The authorities have begun a search and rescue operation for the missing crew this morning. 

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said in a statement that they were alerted to a fire onboard Singapore-flagged tanker Hafnia Nile, and a Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker Ceres 1, about 55km north-east of Pedra Branca - in waters that fall within Singapore's Maritime Search and Rescue Region.

"MPA has requested passing vessels to assist in the search and rescue of the crew," they said, adding that Republic of Singapore Navy ship RSS Supreme, which is in the vicinity of the incident, is providing assistance.

A Republic of Singapore Air Force helicopter has also been dispatched, and is assisting with evacuating the crew.

Taking to Facebook just before 1pm today, the navy said that RSS Supreme had rescued the crew, and is currently providing medical assistance.

And in a separate social media post, the Republic of Singapore Air Force said that their Rescue 10 helicopter successfully transferred two crewmen to SGH to receive further medical attention.

This story is developing. 

chingshijie@asiaone.com