KUALA LUMPUR: The fire on board a tanker of the Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC) Bunga Alpinia in Labuan, Sabah has been contained, and further cooling efforts are ongoing.
MISC said in a statement today that the Labuan Fire and Rescue Department would assess the vessel first before authorising a search effort to be conducted on board for the missing four crew members.
“We confirm that the deceased is Malaysian, Shahril Azmi Bin Baharudin, a greaser on board Bunga Alpinia. MISC is providing all assistance possible to the families of the deceased and the four missing crew members,” the statement said.
At the 2.30am incident yesterday, a fire broke out on board Bunga Alpinia followed by several explosions which rocked Labuan.
There were 29 crew members, comprising 23 Malaysians and six Filipinos on board the vessel which was loading methanol at the Petronas Chemicals Methanol Sdn Bhd terminal in Labuan, at the time of the incident.
Meanwhile, MISC had mobilised industry experts to support the Malaysian authorities in ensuring the continued protection of the environment, vessel and community in the surrounding area.
MISC was also cooperating fully with the authorities in relations to the investigations, said the statement. – Bernama