2 oil tankers catch fire off Singapore, navy rescues crews

Singapore's navy said on Friday, July 19, it had rescued crew members from two large oil tankers that caught fire about 34 miles northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca, near the world's biggest refueling port.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) earlier said it was alerted to a fire on Friday at 6:15 a.m. onboard both a Singapore-flagged tanker, Hafnia Nile, and a Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker, Ceres I. The cause of the fires was not clear.

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In a statement on social media, Singapore's navy said the frigate RSS Supreme had rescued the crew and was providing medical assistance. It did not immediately give details. Photographs released by the Singapore Air Force showed the rescued crew being taken out of a helicopter before being transferred to a hospital.

Singapore is Asia's oil trading hub and the world's largest bunkering port and surrounding waters are vital trade waterways between Asia and Europe and the Middle East.