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.