One dead in ship collision

One dead in ship collision

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): One sailor was reported dead and 17 others rescued after a ship collision in the Malacca Straits late on Thursday, a spokesman for Malaysia's Maritime Rescue Coordinating Center (MRCC) said yesterday.

A Panama-registered chemical tanker, the 3,022-deadweight ton Eastern Bliss, and the 129,513-ton Indian bulk carrier, the Samrat Ashok, collided in the Malacca Straits about 15 nautical miles from Port Dickson, Maaroff Sanif, the MRCC's search mission coordinator said.

"When we found the Eastern Bliss, the vessel's engine was still burning but the fire has been brought under control by the crew of the Lang Siput from the Peninsular Malaysia Marine Department," Maaroff said in statement.

An MRCC spokesman said the 18 seamen on the Eastern Bliss comprised 17 Filipinos and one South Korean. He could not give the nationality of the crew member who died.

The collision did not result in any pollution as Eastern Bliss, which is operated by Tokyo Chemical Tanker, had discharged its cargo of benzene at Port Klang on Thursday.